Farther Finance Advisors LLC Buys 18,086 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) by 73.5% in Q4, buying 18,086 shares to hold 42,695 shares worth about $4.24 million.
• Insider Norman M. Brothers Jr. sold 25,014 UPS shares on January 28 at an average price of $106.15, totaling roughly $2.66 million; company insiders own about 0.19% of the stock.
• UPS beat Q4 expectations with EPS of $2.38 vs. $2.20 and revenue of $24.48 billion (down 3.2% YoY), and it pays a quarterly dividend of $1.64 (annual $6.56) for a 6.2% yield with a 100% payout ratio.

Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 73.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 42,695 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 18,086 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,235,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Guidance Capital Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Guidance Capital Inc. now owns 5,985 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $654,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Split Rock Private Trading & Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $206,000. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 18.4% in the fourth quarter. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,325 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,322,000 after purchasing an additional 2,070 shares in the last quarter. Natural Investments LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Natural Investments LLC now owns 26,097 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,588,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cove Private Wealth LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Cove Private Wealth LLC now owns 67,983 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $6,743,000 after purchasing an additional 10,677 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 25,014 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.15, for a total value of $2,655,236.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $106.41 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.00 and a 1 year high of $122.41. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $105.45 and a 200-day moving average of $100.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.12.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.2%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 100.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Evercore increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $94.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $107.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $96.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $113.03.

About United Parcel Service

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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