Advisory Services Network LLC Buys 10,235 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Advisory Services Network LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 27.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 46,934 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,235 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $6,976,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15,631.2% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,502,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,280,190,000 after acquiring an additional 14,410,073 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 87.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,152,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,854,180,000 after acquiring an additional 8,475,698 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $1,128,322,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 208.1% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,717,391 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $270,025,000 after purchasing an additional 1,160,005 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,607,055 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,510,517,000 after buying an additional 980,317 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of UPS stock traded up $2.06 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $140.30. 742,128 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,971,442. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $132.90 and a 12-month high of $192.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.98. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $139.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $147.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. The business had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.20 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.22 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 13th were issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 10th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.65%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. HSBC raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $150.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $145.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $164.55.

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.