Strategic Financial Concepts LLC Acquires Shares of 42,492 United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 42,492 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $5,358,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised 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 worth $113,064,000 after buying an additional 33,989 shares during the period. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth approximately $461,000. Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $11,934,000 after buying an additional 6,941 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $232,959,000 after buying an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. Finally, HF Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,305,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on UPS shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $141.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of United Parcel Service stock traded up $1.55 during trading on Thursday, reaching $116.55. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,798,355 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,643,401. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company has a market cap of $99.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $109.40 and a 1-year high of $158.95. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $123.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $128.48.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.64 dividend. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.63%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.