United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS Stock Holdings Lifted by Fortis Group Advisors LLC

Fortis Group Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 6,694.0% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 16,985 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 16,735 shares during the quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,419,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Andra AP fonden grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 95.9% during the second quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 332,983 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $33,611,000 after buying an additional 163,000 shares in the last quarter. BLVD Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,479,000. Strategic Planning Inc. purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,885,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 14.6% in the 2nd quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 94,361 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,525,000 after purchasing an additional 12,035 shares during the period. Finally, Equity Investment Corp lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.8% in the second quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 1,130,550 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $114,118,000 after purchasing an additional 162,364 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on UPS. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $112.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $107.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Wolfe Research reissued a “peer perform” rating on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Bank of America raised United Parcel Service from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $114.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $113.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service 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 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 3.2%

Shares of UPS stock opened at $115.46 on Wednesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.00 and a 12 month high of $123.70. The company has a market cap of $97.95 billion, a PE ratio of 17.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. The business’s 50 day moving average is $106.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $95.23.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $23.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.75 EPS. United Parcel Service’s quarterly revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

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.