Arete Wealth Advisors LLC Acquires 7,786 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 69.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,068 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,786 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,591,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,068 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $694,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Cigna Investments Inc. New lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the third quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 7,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,024,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 15,837 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,167,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 12,596 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,717,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gleason Group Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,576 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $897,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $130.22 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market cap of $111.13 billion, a PE ratio of 19.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.12 and a 12-month high of $163.82. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $133.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $132.96.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 37.38%. The business had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.01%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 45,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,249,229.86. The trade was a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $134.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Susquehanna increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded United Parcel Service from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.29.

About United Parcel Service

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.