Advocate Group LLC Grows Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Advocate Group LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. by 5.2%, owning approximately 84,925 shares valued at $8,572,000 as of the end of the second quarter.
• Several major institutional investors, including Vanguard Group and Goldman Sachs, also raised their positions in UPS, with Goldman Sachs increasing their holdings by 124.0% in the first quarter.
• The current consensus rating for UPS is a "Hold," with a consensus price target of $109.38, reflecting mixed sentiments from various analysts on the stock's future performance.

Advocate Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 84,925 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,222 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service makes up approximately 1.5% of Advocate Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Advocate Group LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $8,572,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,136,226 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $7,274,323,000 after purchasing an additional 999,832 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,045,472 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,754,751,000 after acquiring an additional 1,780,807 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 124.0% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,011,107 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $991,132,000 after acquiring an additional 4,988,044 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,415,523 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $815,633,000 after acquiring an additional 23,918 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 4,719,145 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $519,059,000 after acquiring an additional 171,303 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on UPS. BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $96.00 target price (down from $125.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, September 19th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $83.00 to $81.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 26th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $114.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Vertical Research reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $103.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of United Parcel Service to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $109.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Christiana Smith Shi purchased 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $88.17 per share, for a total transaction of $44,085.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 500 shares in the company, valued at $44,085. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was bought at an average price of $86.50 per share, with a total value of $432,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 10,160 shares of the company's stock, valued at $878,840. The trade was a 96.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased a total of 17,182 shares of company stock worth $1,477,382 over the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 2.7%

NYSE UPS opened at $82.97 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.32. The company has a market capitalization of $70.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.10. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $82.00 and a one year high of $145.01. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $85.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $94.34.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. The firm's revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.79 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.9%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.62%.

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.

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