Arete Wealth Advisors LLC Reduces Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 18.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,504 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 3,564 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,951,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. IFS Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 232.3% during the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of UPS traded down $2.50 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $97.62. The company had a trading volume of 9,564,186 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,715,593. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $83.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $115.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $125.64. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $95.53 and a 52 week high of $153.42.

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United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.47 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.72%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is 97.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on UPS shares. Wolfe Research upgraded United Parcel Service from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $147.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird cut shares of United Parcel Service from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $133.18.

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.