Calamos Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Calamos Advisors LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 4.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 121,400 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,725 shares during the period. Calamos Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $11,943,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV now owns 11,324 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,123,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Westbourne Investments Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. now owns 7,876 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $781,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,670 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $562,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Webster Bank N. A. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 698 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peoples Financial Services CORP. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Peoples Financial Services CORP. now owns 4,030 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Stephens raised shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Evercore lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $111.10.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.7%

UPS stock opened at $113.69 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $96.64 billion, a PE ratio of 18.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.21. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $82.00 and a one year high of $122.41. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $105.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $105.81.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.05. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The company had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 106.15%.

About United Parcel Service

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.