Arete Wealth Advisors LLC Has $2.59 Million Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 69.0% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 19,068 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,786 shares during the quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,591,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 291.7% during the 2nd quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 235 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 168.5% in the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 247 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 408.2% in the third quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 720.0% during the third quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $130.22 on Wednesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.12 and a 1-year high of $163.82. 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 capitalization of $111.13 billion, a PE ratio of 19.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.98. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $133.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $132.96.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.01%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $144.00 price target for the company. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.29.

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.