Private Advisor Group LLC Increases Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 16.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 105,094 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,837 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $16,524,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Life Planning Partners Inc acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 69.5% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 239 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of UPS stock traded up $0.25 on Monday, reaching $146.68. 2,073,568 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,192,927. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $133.68 and a 12-month high of $192.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a market capitalization of $125.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $149.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $150.56.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. The business had revenue of $21.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.20 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.23 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.45%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 94.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on UPS shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “in-line” rating and set a $154.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Redburn Atlantic raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. TheStreet raised United Parcel Service from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Finally, HSBC raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $150.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.23.

United Parcel Service 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.