Principal Securities Inc. Has $5.33 Million Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 42,247 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,172 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $5,327,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFS Advisors LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 232.3% in the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the 3rd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the 3rd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird lowered United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of UPS opened at $116.37 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $124.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $128.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.21, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.40 and a 52 week high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period in the prior year, the company posted $2.47 EPS. On average, analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.64%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About United Parcel Service

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.