HF Advisory Group LLC Takes Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

HF Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 10,350 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,305,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 2.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $4,035,313,000 after buying an additional 613,409 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,927,607 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,989,609,000 after acquiring an additional 1,320,921 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,289,624 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,080,170,000 after acquiring an additional 373,202 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,779.6% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,631,461 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,994,853,000 after acquiring an additional 14,539,321 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,627,550 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,448,960,000 after purchasing an additional 380,229 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on UPS. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Bank of America upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS traded down $0.17 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $129.77. The company had a trading volume of 4,260,034 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,680,905. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $121.56 and a 1-year high of $161.35. The business's 50 day moving average price is $128.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $130.90. The firm has a market cap of $110.74 billion, a PE ratio of 19.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.00.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.02%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

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.