Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. Purchases 11,747 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Ausdal Financial Partners increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 247.2% in Q3, buying 11,747 shares to hold 16,499 shares worth about $1.38 million.
• Institutional ownership stands at 60.26%—Vanguard, State Street and Charles Schwab added to positions, while Norges Bank opened a new roughly $852 million stake.
• UPS beat Q4 EPS estimates ($2.38 vs. $2.20), announced a $1.64 quarterly dividend (6.7% yield), and has an analyst consensus of "Hold" with an average price target of $113.67.

Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 247.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,499 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 11,747 shares during the period. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,378,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,277,988 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $5,619,730,000 after purchasing an additional 372,850 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 30,774,530 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,106,381,000 after purchasing an additional 444,384 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,792,139 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,603,459,000 after purchasing an additional 746,667 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth $851,842,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,991,490 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $667,109,000 after buying an additional 761,217 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 25,014 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.15, for a total value of $2,655,236.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $107.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Evercore lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $94.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of United Parcel Service from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $114.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $113.67.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $97.47 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $98.09. The company has a market cap of $82.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.08. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $82.00 and a fifty-two week high of $122.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.18. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 38.30% and a net margin of 6.28%.The firm had revenue of $24.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.91 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.75 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.7%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

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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