United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Purchased by World Investment Advisors LLC

World Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 79.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,675 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 7,836 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,410,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cigna Investments Inc. New raised its position in United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,024,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.5% in the second quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 15,837 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,167,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,717,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $897,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Tradewinds LLC. raised its position in United Parcel Service by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tradewinds LLC. now owns 4,487 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $612,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS traded down $0.22 on Friday, reaching $128.76. 4,284,756 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,141,130. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company's 50-day moving average price is $132.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $132.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $109.88 billion, a PE ratio of 19.45, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.12 and a fifty-two week high of $163.82.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.06%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of several research reports. Argus upgraded United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of 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. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. They set a "hold" rating and a $144.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $151.29.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.