Willis Investment Counsel Has $21.63 Million Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Willis Investment Counsel grew its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 171,522 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,721 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service comprises about 1.4% of Willis Investment Counsel’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $21,629,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% during 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 buying an additional 14,539,321 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 833.4% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,074,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $282,783,000 after buying an additional 1,851,900 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $232,959,000 after buying an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,989,609,000 after buying an additional 1,320,921 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 5,136.2% during the 3rd 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. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE:UPS opened at $114.19 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $97.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.98. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $128.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $130.28. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $109.62 and a 1 year high of $158.95. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.61 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.71%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Baird R W lowered United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Argus raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.95.

United Parcel Service 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.