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

Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 19,599 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 767 shares during the quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,471,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Acropolis Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC now owns 5,709 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $720,000 after purchasing an additional 318 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 17,187 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,167,000 after buying an additional 2,324 shares in the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $223,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the period. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 27.3% in the fourth quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,312 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $796,000 after purchasing an additional 1,354 shares during the period. Finally, Rockland Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 12,219 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,541,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $125.89 on Wednesday. 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 has a market cap of $107.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $129.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $131.01. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $121.56 and a 1-year high of $161.35.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.18%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on UPS. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Argus upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.10.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.