Beacon Financial Group Purchases 327 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Beacon Financial Group increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 28,059 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 327 shares during the quarter. Beacon Financial Group’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,538,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Quent Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 558 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. increased its position in United Parcel Service by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. now owns 3,117 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $393,000 after buying an additional 495 shares during the period. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 308.0% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 408 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. Latitude Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Latitude Advisors LLC now owns 1,940 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, Sovran Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth $659,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of UPS opened at $114.49 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market cap of $97.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.94, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $125.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $129.16. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $109.40 and a 52-week high of $158.95.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.47 earnings per share. Analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.73%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 96.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on UPS. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $153.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.73.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total value of $1,015,025.25. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

United Parcel Service Company 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.