United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Purchased by Financial Advocates Investment Management

Financial Advocates Investment Management lifted its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 16.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,631 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 1,389 shares during the period. Financial Advocates Investment Management’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,214,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 39.7% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 108,360 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $14,793,000 after purchasing an additional 30,815 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.7% during the third quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 22,522 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,071,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the third quarter worth approximately $257,000. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors grew its position in United Parcel Service by 10.3% in the third quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors now owns 3,255 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $444,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.6% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 85,536 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,662,000 after buying an additional 1,378 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UPS. Citigroup decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $158.00 to $149.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Argus raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS stock opened at $113.47 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $126.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $129.57. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $109.40 and a 12 month high of $158.95. The company has a market capitalization of $96.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.47 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued 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 yield of 5.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 96.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.