Financial Partners Group LLC Purchases 5,297 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Financial Partners Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 18.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 34,428 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,297 shares during the period. United Parcel Service makes up about 1.8% of Financial Partners Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Financial Partners Group LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,341,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $113,064,000 after buying an additional 33,989 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 6,941 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in 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 valued at $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,305,000. Finally, Cohen Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 26.4% during the third quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 3,835 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Bank of America raised 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 report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. UBS Group increased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $151.24.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS traded down $0.63 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $132.98. The company had a trading volume of 3,211,411 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,434,832. The company's 50-day moving average price is $128.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $130.84. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $121.56 and a one year high of $161.35. The firm has a market cap of $113.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.90%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other 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 directly owns 45,098 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

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.