Advantage Trust Co Takes Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 500 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $68,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.4% in the second quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,068 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $694,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,024,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. increased its position in United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the second quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,496 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $889,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Rogco LP raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.9% in the first quarter. Rogco LP now owns 4,206 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $625,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 1.3 %

UPS stock traded down $1.71 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $132.44. 3,111,704 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,797,139. The stock has a market capitalization of $113.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $132.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $135.20. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.12 and a 12-month high of $163.82.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The company’s revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Stephens lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.71.

About United Parcel Service

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.