Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Has $4.37 Million Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. reduced its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 9.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 29,404 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 2,933 shares during the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,370,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Life Planning Partners Inc bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Northwest Financial Advisors bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Bourgeon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.55.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $134.91 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $132.90 and a 1 year high of $192.98. The company has a market cap of $115.42 billion, a PE ratio of 19.55, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.98. The company’s 50-day moving average is $141.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $148.31.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 37.42%. The company had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.20 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.22 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 30th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th were given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 10th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.83%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 94.49%.

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.