Advocate Group LLC Purchases 6,103 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Advocate Group LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 8.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 80,703 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,103 shares during the period. United Parcel Service comprises about 1.6% of Advocate Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Advocate Group LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $8,876,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 11,427 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,441,000 after acquiring an additional 1,440 shares in the last quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 62.8% in the fourth quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 6,225 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $785,000 after acquiring an additional 2,401 shares in the last quarter. Argyle Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Argyle Capital Management LLC now owns 26,428 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,333,000 after acquiring an additional 2,695 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 63.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,529,000 after buying an additional 4,723 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 95.1% in the first quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 4,531 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $498,000 after buying an additional 2,209 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Galvan Research decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $133.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. HSBC downgraded United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $105.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $119.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $120.26.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE UPS traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $99.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 11,093,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,189,324. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The business's 50 day moving average is $97.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.53. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $90.55 and a 12-month high of $148.15. The firm has a market cap of $84.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.22.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.11. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 40.15% and a net margin of 6.44%. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.43 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.60%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 95.63%.

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.