We recently published a list of 12 Best Industrial Dividend Stocks to Invest in Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) stands against other best industrial dividend stocks to invest in now.
Industrial stocks play a crucial role in economic growth, encompassing a wide range of businesses, from manufacturing to transportation. This sector often performs well during periods of economic expansion and stands to gain from higher government investment in infrastructure projects. Although the sector is diverse, companies within it exhibit common characteristics and are positioned to benefit from several overarching trends. These factors contribute to the view that industrials play a significant role in the equity portion of a well-diversified portfolio.
In recent years, the industrial economy has generally experienced improving demand trends, though certain areas, such as manufacturing automation, have shown signs of weakening. A report by Edward Jones suggested that while the recovery is expected to continue, several near-term uncertainties could impact the sector’s growth. These include a potential slowdown in economic expansion, ongoing geopolitical challenges, and declining business and consumer confidence.
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Additionally, the growing risk of a global trade war between the United States and key trading partners has introduced further uncertainty for the industrial sector. While the administration has announced tariffs on materials such as steel and aluminum, the full impact of these measures remains unclear. Further tariff actions are anticipated, with a likely focus on China and the European Union. In response, these regions are expected to retaliate through tariffs or other policy measures.
In 2024, the industrial sector delivered solid returns overall, though it slightly trailed the broader market in what was a strong year for stocks. A report by Fidelity Investments noted that industrials started the year on a strong footing, generally keeping pace with the broader market through April. However, the sector underperformed in May and June before rebounding in July, emerging as one of the market’s stronger segments. It largely maintained those relative gains through mid-December. This uneven performance reflected a balance between optimism surrounding a potential soft landing for the US economy and a surge in major construction projects, contrasted with concerns over weak manufacturing indicators and historically high stock valuations.
The Fidelity report also highlighted several key themes that could present investment opportunities in the coming year. One of the primary themes is the resurgence of manufacturing within the United States. Various factors are driving an unprecedented wave of reinvestment in domestic infrastructure, efforts to onshore supply chains to mitigate geopolitical risks, and increased investments in electrification and artificial intelligence development.
The cyclical nature of industrial stocks has contributed to strong performance over time. Over the past three years, the market’s Industrial Index has slightly outpaced the broader market, driven by solid growth across several key industries, including Aerospace & Defense, Building Products, Machinery, and Electrical Equipment. This year, as stocks have been in negative territory for a while now, the industrial sector has recorded a 0.74% decline, while the broader market has fallen by nearly 3%.
Our Methodology
For this article, we first scanned Insider Monkey’s database of over 1,000 hedge funds, as of the fourth quarter of 2024 and selected industrial companies across various segments within the industry, including manufacturing, construction, aerospace and defense, machinery and equipment, transportation and logistics, as well as utilities. From this pool of companies, we identified 12 dividend companies and ranked them in ascending order of the number of hedge funds having stakes in them at the end of Q4 2024.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
A warehouse filled with boxes of parcels, symbolizing the companies reliable logistics services.
United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 59
United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) is an American multinational shipping & receiving and supply chain management company. Over the past year, the stock has fallen more than 22% as the company worked through longstanding challenges. This included divesting noncore operations, modernizing its business processes, shifting focus toward higher-margin segments like healthcare, and expanding its customer base.
In the fourth quarter of 2024, United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) reported $25.3 billion in revenue, reflecting a 1.54% year-over-year increase. The company also reached a preliminary agreement with its largest customer to scale back volume by more than 50% by the latter half of 2026. In addition, it has taken full control of its SurePost product. In response, the company is restructuring its US network and implementing a multi-year efficiency program designed to optimize operations and achieve approximately $1 billion in cost savings through an extensive process overhaul.
In February, United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) raised its quarterly dividend by 0.6% to $1.64 per share, marking its 23rd consecutive year of dividend growth. As of March 17, the stock offers a dividend yield of 5.56%, making it an attractive option for income investors. Strong cash flow continues to support shareholder returns, with UPS generating $10.1 billion in operating cash flow and $6.3 billion in free cash flow in fiscal 2024. The company also distributed $5.9 billion to shareholders through dividends and stock repurchases.
Overall, UPS ranks 7th on our list of best industrial dividend stocks to invest in now. While we acknowledge the potential of UPS as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued dividend stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for a deeply undervalued dividend stock that is more promising than UPS but that trades at 10 times its earnings and grows its earnings at double digit rates annually, check out our report about the dirt cheap dividend stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
