Benjamin Edwards Inc. Acquires 28,466 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 18.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 178,991 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 28,466 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $19,687,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth $1,857,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 51.6% during the first quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC now owns 169,081 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $18,597,000 after acquiring an additional 57,529 shares in the last quarter. Donoghue Forlines LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the first quarter valued at about $1,388,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the first quarter valued at about $3,397,000. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 40.3% in the first quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 124,966 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $13,745,000 after purchasing an additional 35,916 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.2%

UPS opened at $86.65 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $98.23 and its 200-day moving average is $104.63. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $84.28 and a 1-year high of $145.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The company has a market cap of $73.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.89, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.12.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.79 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $86.50 per share, for a total transaction of $432,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at $878,840. This represents a 96.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome purchased 11,682 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $85.67 per share, with a total value of $1,000,796.94. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,117,591.06. The trade was a 89.61% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UPS. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $103.00 to $97.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Redburn Atlantic decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $137.00 to $117.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $112.81.

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.