Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV Invests $1.19 Million in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 9,471 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,194,000. United Parcel Service makes up 1.1% of Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,213,699,000 after acquiring an additional 370,705 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,035,313,000 after purchasing an additional 613,409 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,933,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337,058 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,979,695,000 after purchasing an additional 414,710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,384,567,000 after buying an additional 1,484,452 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.6 %

UPS opened at $109.29 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $93.35 billion, a PE ratio of 16.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50-day moving average of $117.65 and a 200-day moving average of $126.15. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $108.18 and a fifty-two week high of $154.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $119.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.83.

United Parcel Service Company Profile

United Parcel Service, Inc, a package delivery company, provides transportation and delivery, distribution, contract logistics, ocean freight, airfreight, customs brokerage, and insurance services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of express letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States.