United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Avestar Capital LLC

Avestar Capital LLC reduced its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,278 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 153 shares during the quarter. Avestar Capital LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $311,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,772,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $232,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,620,091 shares during the last quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 26.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,503,000 after buying an additional 3,835 shares during the period. Financial Partners Group LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 23.9% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 26,319 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,602,000 after buying an additional 5,069 shares during the period. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 71.8% during the 2nd quarter. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. now owns 14,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,988,000 after buying an additional 6,073 shares during the period. Finally, Investors Research Corp increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 89.0% during the 3rd quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 10,939 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,491,000 after buying an additional 5,150 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This trade represents a 13.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on UPS shares. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.52.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $135.69 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $115.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.99. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $133.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $133.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.12 and a 1-year high of $163.82.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.49%.

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.