United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS Shares Sold by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lessened its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 22.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 39,160 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 11,580 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,306,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pinney & Scofield Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Citizens National Bank Trust Department increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 525.0% in the 1st quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 250 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $124.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Vertical Research restated a “hold” rating and set a $103.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Argus dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $112.81.

Insider Activity

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

United Parcel Service Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of UPS stock opened at $86.9280 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $73.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.12. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $96.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $102.33. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $84.28 and a fifty-two week high of $145.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.61% and a net margin of 6.34%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.79 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.5%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 97.62%.

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.