World Investment Advisors LLC Acquires 7,836 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

World Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 79.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,675 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 7,836 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,410,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 397.7% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 214 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 291.7% during the second quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 235 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 168.5% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 247 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 408.2% during the third quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 249 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 720.0% in the third 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. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Argus raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. UBS Group upped 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $128.76 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.12 and a fifty-two week high of $163.82. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $132.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $132.75. The firm has a market cap of $109.88 billion, a PE ratio of 19.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current 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 dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.06%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.