KBC Group NV Purchases 2,263 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 131,085 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,263 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $17,872,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,994,853,000 after purchasing an additional 14,539,321 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 284.8% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,569,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $351,681,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901,914 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 5,136.2% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,079,964 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $147,242,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059,339 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Interval Partners LP purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth $90,099,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:UPS opened at $134.10 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $132.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $134.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market cap of $114.86 billion, a PE ratio of 20.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.99. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.12 and a fifty-two week high of $163.82.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.57 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.86%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.52.

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.