United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS Shares Sold by HF Advisory Group LLC

Key Points

• HF Advisory Group LLC reduced its UPS stake by 61.7% in Q4, selling 16,595 shares and leaving 10,320 shares worth about $1.02 million.
• UPS beat Q4 EPS ($2.38 vs. $2.20) with revenue of $24.48 billion (down 3.2% YoY); the stock trades near $101.69 and carries a MarketBeat consensus "Hold" target of $113.03.
• Management is pursuing major cost cuts — reports of roughly 30,000 job eliminations — amid analyst concerns about cash-flow quality and dividend coverage, even as UPS recently paid a $1.64 quarterly dividend (annualized yield ~6.5%).

HF Advisory Group LLC reduced its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 61.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,320 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 16,595 shares during the quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,024,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 63.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,529,000 after acquiring an additional 4,723 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $277,000. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $848,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its position in United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 342,866 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $34,609,000 after acquiring an additional 9,124 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 154.5% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 104,819 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $10,580,000 after acquiring an additional 63,629 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting United Parcel Service

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Evercore raised their target price on United Parcel Service from $94.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $112.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Wolfe Research reiterated a "peer perform" rating on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded United Parcel Service from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $114.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $113.03.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of UPS stock opened at $101.69 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.00 and a 1 year high of $122.41. The stock has a market cap of $86.35 billion, a PE ratio of 15.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.12. The business's fifty day moving average is $106.50 and its 200-day moving average is $99.73. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.5%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 100.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 25,014 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.15, for a total transaction of $2,655,236.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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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