Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Buys 56,788 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 696% in the fourth quarter, holding 64,947 shares worth about $6.44 million.
• Several other institutional investors also raised their UPS positions, and 60.26% of the stock is now owned by institutions.
• UPS shares were down about 1.5% to $98.48, even though the company recently beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates and announced a $1.64 quarterly dividend yielding about 6.7%.

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 696.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 64,947 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 56,788 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $6,442,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 65,569 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $6,504,000 after buying an additional 1,272 shares during the period. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 5,796 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $575,000 after buying an additional 393 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 99.8% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 157,033 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $15,576,000 after buying an additional 78,456 shares during the period. Seelaus Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Seelaus Asset Management LLC now owns 4,340 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $431,000 after buying an additional 374 shares during the period. Finally, Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV now owns 16,170 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,604,000 after buying an additional 664 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on UPS. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $96.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $99.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $111.87.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of UPS stock opened at $98.48 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $83.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $101.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $102.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.00 and a 12-month high of $122.41.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.99 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 5.94%.The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.49 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 106.15%.

United Parcel Service Profile

United Parcel Service NYSE: UPS is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.

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