LexAurum Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

LexAurum Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 21.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,747 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the quarter. LexAurum Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $346,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after purchasing an additional 33,989 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,934,000 after acquiring an additional 6,941 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,305,000. Finally, Cohen Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 26.4% in the third quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 3,835 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $132.98 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $128.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $113.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.00. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $121.56 and a 1-year high of $161.35.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.90%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on UPS shares. Wolfe Research raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Susquehanna upped their price target on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.24.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.