Ellsworth Advisors LLC Acquires 707 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Ellsworth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,959 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 707 shares during the quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,767,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UPS. RB Capital Management LLC grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 3.1% in the first quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 2,689 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $577,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Ergoteles LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,162,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. First Western Trust Bank purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth approximately $515,000. Finally, Stevens Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth approximately $701,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE UPS traded up $1.30 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $148.63. 5,197,043 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,926,311. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $150.64 and its 200-day moving average is $152.25. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $133.68 and a 52-week high of $197.80. The company has a market capitalization of $126.73 billion, a PE ratio of 19.08, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $24.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. The business’s revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.62 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is a boost from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.39%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered shares of United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, December 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. Argus cut United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $178.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.23.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by 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.