Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Purchases 17,644 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Key Points

• Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 27.3%, acquiring an additional 17,644 shares, bringing its total to 82,326 shares worth approximately $9,055,000.
• Several institutional investors, including Brighton Jones LLC and Loomis Sayles & Co. L P, have also significantly increased their stakes in UPS, indicating strong institutional support for the stock.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed opinions on UPS, with a majority giving it a "hold" rating and a range of price targets from $113.00 to $147.00, reflecting differing views on the company's future performance.

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 27.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 82,326 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,644 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $9,055,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UPS. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 63.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 4,723 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 103,068 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $12,997,000 after acquiring an additional 5,356 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 448,905 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $56,607,000 after purchasing an additional 5,452 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 426,393 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $53,768,000 after acquiring an additional 55,650 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 10.4% during the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 92,570 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $11,673,000 after purchasing an additional 8,693 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UPS. Wall Street Zen downgraded United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $124.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Galvan Research cut their target price on shares of 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. Wolfe Research reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $113.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $118.22.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $103.59 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $100.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $107.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $87.72 billion, a PE ratio of 15.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.21. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.55 and a 12 month high of $145.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.11. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 40.15%. The business had revenue of $21.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.43 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 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, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.33%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is currently 95.63%.

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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