Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Has $7.37 Million Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 636.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 58,465 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 50,530 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $7,372,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 829,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,064,000 after purchasing an additional 33,989 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 87,531 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,934,000 after acquiring an additional 6,941 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 1,061.1% during 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 grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 3,835 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rovin Capital UT ADV lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 85.7% in the fourth quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV now owns 4,757 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $600,000 after purchasing an additional 2,195 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.1 %

UPS opened at $129.77 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $128.95 and a 200-day moving average of $130.93. The company has a market capitalization of $110.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.00. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $121.56 and a fifty-two week high of $161.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $22.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.49 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid 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 5.02%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on UPS. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $151.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup lowered their target price on 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. Susquehanna increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Argus raised United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Bank of America raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.10.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 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. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service 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.