E Fund Management Co. Ltd. Invests $228,000 in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

E Fund Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,810 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $228,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 19,227 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,425,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 3,387 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $427,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service by 17.1% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 3,269 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $412,000 after buying an additional 478 shares during the period. Carmel Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC now owns 15,525 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,958,000 after buying an additional 834 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $393,680,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.00.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $121.59 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $103.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $121.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $127.77. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $109.40 and a one year high of $158.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

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

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.