Ritholtz Wealth Management Grows Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its UPS stake by 850.6% in Q4, buying 22,081 shares to hold 24,677 shares worth about $2.45 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• UPS beat Q earnings estimates with EPS of $2.38 vs. $2.20 and revenue of $24.48 billion (down 3.2% YoY); Wall Street’s consensus is a "Hold" with an average price target of $113.03, though several banks recently upgraded the stock and raised targets into the $115–$125 range.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $1.64 ($6.56 annual, a 6.5% yield) but faces potential risk as management plans roughly 30,000 job cuts and analysts have flagged cash-flow and dividend-coverage concerns.

Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 850.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,677 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 22,081 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,448,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Westbourne Investments Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. now owns 7,876 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $781,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Tema Etfs LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Tema Etfs LLC now owns 12,999 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,289,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.6% during the third quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,268 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $372,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 4.6% during the third quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 2,558 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Regal Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.6% during the third quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,129 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $596,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UPS. Bank of America raised shares of United Parcel Service from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $114.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $107.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. HSBC upgraded United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on United Parcel Service from $112.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One 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 given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $113.03.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS stock opened at $101.69 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $106.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $99.84. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.00 and a twelve month high of $122.41. The firm has a market cap of $86.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.50, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.12.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $24.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.75 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Shareholders 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 yield of 6.5%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 25,014 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Parcel Service News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting United Parcel Service this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical relief — reports that vessels are again passing through the Strait of Hormuz after a U.S.–Iran ceasefire helped lift logistics and shipping stocks, a direct tailwind for UPS's global freight and intermodal operations. Why United Parcel Service (UPS) Stock Is Up Today
• Positive Sentiment: Sector-wide bounce — broader supply-chain and freight names rallied on the ceasefire news, which tends to boost short-term outlook for volume and routing stability across carriers including UPS. Supply Chain Stocks Soar on Ceasefire News
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation/strategic pivot — analysts and commentators note UPS is trading below peer multiples as it shifts toward higher-margin healthcare and B2B segments while reducing Amazon volumes and targeting $3B of savings, supporting a value-buy narrative for some investors. UPS Stock Trades at a Discounted Valuation: Is it a Buy Signal?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention — UPS has been one of the most-searched stocks recently, increasing liquidity and volatility risk but not implying a directional thesis by itself. Investors Heavily Search United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS): Here is What You Need to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Talent movement in the industry — a former UPS leader joining a competitor (ACERTUS) is notable for sector dynamics but has limited immediate impact on UPS fundamentals. ACERTUS Hires Former UPS Leader as New Chief Revenue Officer
• Negative Sentiment: Major job cuts announced — reports that UPS will eliminate roughly 30,000 positions as part of a large cost-cutting plan raise concerns about volume weakness and execution risk, even if cuts could improve margins over time. UPS layoffs: Delivery giant to slash 30,000 jobs in major cost-cutting drive; who will be impacted?
• Negative Sentiment: Cash-flow concerns — analysis flagged two red flags around UPS's cash-flow quality and dividend coverage, which could weigh on investor confidence if free cash flow underperforms expectations. 2 Red Flags Waving Over UPS Cash Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst headwinds — JPMorgan trimmed its price target and Citigroup lowered expectations, reflecting a mixed freight outlook and keeping near-term analyst sentiment cautious. UPS Faces Target Cut from JPMorgan Amid Mixed Freight Outlook Citigroup Has Lowered Expectations for United Parcel Service NYSE: UPS Stock Price

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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