Gradient Investments LLC Purchases 183 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Gradient Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 12.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,693 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $213,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 232.3% in the 4th 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. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the 3rd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. PSI Advisors LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 408.2% during the 3rd quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the third quarter valued at about $36,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Citigroup cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Argus upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.24.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 shares were 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 owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $132.98 on Monday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $121.56 and a 1-year high of $161.35. The company has a 50 day moving average of $128.95 and a 200-day moving average of $130.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. 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.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

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

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.