Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC Increases Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 20.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 58,003 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,041 shares during the quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $7,314,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Yarger Wealth Strategies LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Yarger Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 2,876 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $363,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. RDA Financial Network raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. RDA Financial Network now owns 4,097 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $517,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the period. Empirical Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC now owns 12,036 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,518,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Central Valley Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Central Valley Advisors LLC now owns 3,578 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $451,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cohen Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,991 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,395,000 after purchasing an additional 634 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday. Argus raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.10.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 2.0 %

NYSE:UPS opened at $129.97 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $129.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $130.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $110.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.00. 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 earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

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.