United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Purchased by RIA Advisory Group LLC

RIA Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 798.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,919 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,925 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service accounts for approximately 0.8% of RIA Advisory Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. RIA Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,817,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. MWA Asset Management acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the third quarter valued at $2,125,000. Chesapeake Wealth Management lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.3% in the third quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 7,886 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,229,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 387,381 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $60,908,000 after acquiring an additional 44,721 shares during the period. CapWealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. CapWealth Advisors LLC now owns 58,184 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,148,000 after acquiring an additional 686 shares during the period. Finally, Telos Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 74,337 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,587,000 after buying an additional 740 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the subject of several research reports. Robert W. Baird raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $153.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Raymond James cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “in-line” rating and set a $154.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.0 %

UPS traded up $0.03 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $142.77. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,066,674 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,319,552. The firm has a market cap of $121.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.35, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $133.68 and a 52-week high of $197.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $149.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $151.28.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $24.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. The company’s revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.62 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.57%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,220. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.