United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS Shares Acquired by Advisory Alpha LLC

Key Points

• Advisory Alpha LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. by 31.6% during the first quarter, bringing their total shares to 34,144, valued at approximately $3.76 million.
• Major institutional investors, including Goldman Sachs and Pacer Advisors, have made significant increases in their positions in UPS, with Goldman Sachs boosting its holdings by 124%.
• Despite a decrease in earnings per share compared to the previous year, UPS reported revenues exceeding analyst expectations, totaling $21.20 billion for the most recent quarter.

Advisory Alpha LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 31.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 34,144 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,205 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,755,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of UPS. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 124.0% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,011,107 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $991,132,000 after acquiring an additional 4,988,044 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,056.6% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,336,175 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $476,936,000 after purchasing an additional 3,961,255 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at about $201,358,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,045,472 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,754,751,000 after buying an additional 1,780,807 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 582.0% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,180,709 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $128,886,000 after buying an additional 1,007,585 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $113.00 to $112.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $124.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $103.00 to $97.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Barclays dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Galvan Research reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $112.59.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $84.32 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $92.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $99.62. The company has a market capitalization of $71.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.32. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $83.05 and a 1 year high of $145.01.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.61% and a net margin of 6.34%.The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.79 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.8%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.62%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, CEO Carol B. Tome bought 11,682 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were bought at an average price of $85.67 per share, with a total value of $1,000,796.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at $2,117,591.06. This trade represents a 89.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Christiana Smith Shi bought 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $88.17 per share, for a total transaction of $44,085.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,085. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 17,182 shares of company stock worth $1,477,382. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.