First Trust Advisors LP Has $244.34 Million Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 11.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,420,639 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 239,695 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.29% of United Parcel Service worth $244,339,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 110.1% in the 2nd quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd now owns 250 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Hemington Wealth Management raised its position in United Parcel Service by 68.9% during the first quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 282 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Flaharty Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Stephens upgraded United Parcel Service to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $96.00 target price (down from $125.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, September 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $109.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $110.00.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 3.6%

Shares of UPS stock opened at $94.71 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.00 and a 1-year high of $136.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The stock has a market cap of $80.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.64, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.11. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $90.80 and a 200-day moving average of $92.65.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The transportation company reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.43. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 40.07% and a net margin of 6.15%.The business had revenue of $21.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.76 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th were issued a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.9%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 101.39%.

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.