Banco Santander S.A. Purchases 1,599 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Banco Santander S.A. grew its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 12.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,195 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,599 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,790,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UPS. IFS Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 397.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $121.59 on Monday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $109.40 and a 12 month high of $158.95. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $121.73 and its 200-day moving average is $127.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company has a market capitalization of $103.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 period in the prior year, the business earned $2.47 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $1.64 dividend. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.40%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 97.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Baird R W lowered United Parcel Service from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird lowered United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Friday. They set a “hold” rating and a $119.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.00.

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.