Schechter Investment Advisors LLC Increases Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Schechter Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 8.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,483 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 586 shares during the quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,177,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. RB Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.1% during the first quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 2,689 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $577,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Ergoteles LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth $1,162,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.0% during the first quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $264,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. First Western Trust Bank purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth $515,000. Finally, Stevens Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth $701,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $142.30 per share, with a total value of $199,220.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $147.33 on Thursday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $133.68 and a fifty-two week high of $197.80. The company has a market capitalization of $125.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $150.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $152.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 39.46%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.62 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.29 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. Raymond James cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Susquehanna reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday. Evercore ISI reiterated an “in-line” rating and set a $154.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $153.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $166.81.

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.