World Investment Advisors Grows Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• World Investment Advisors boosted its stake in United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) by 99.8% in Q4, ending the period with 157,033 shares worth about $15.58 million.
• Several large institutions also reshaped holdings — Norges Bank opened a new stake (~$902.4M) while Victory Capital, AQR and Pacer made sizable additions, leaving hedge funds and other institutions owning about 60.26% of UPS.
• UPS beat Q4 EPS estimates ($2.38 vs. $2.20) with revenue of $24.48B (down 3.2% YoY), declared a $1.64 quarterly dividend (annualized $6.56, ~6.5% yield), and faces reported cuts of roughly 30,000 jobs as part of cost-saving actions.

World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 99.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 157,033 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 78,456 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors' holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $15,576,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UPS. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $902,446,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 72.9% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,818,314 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,370,639,000 after purchasing an additional 5,826,824 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 175.7% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,200,135 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $515,801,000 after purchasing an additional 3,314,166 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 507.8% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,244,234 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $321,796,000 after purchasing an additional 2,710,470 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $181,951,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 25,014 shares of the company's 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key United Parcel Service News

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

Several analysts recently issued reports on UPS shares. HSBC raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Bank of America raised shares of United Parcel Service from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $114.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 9th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed a "peer perform" rating on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $96.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $113.03.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $101.69 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $106.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $99.62. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.00 and a 1-year high of $122.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market cap of $86.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.12.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $24.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $23.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.75 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

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

United Parcel Service Company 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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