United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS Stock Holdings Lessened by Diligent Investors LLC

Diligent Investors LLC lessened its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 16.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,635 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,104 shares during the period. Diligent Investors LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $569,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 124.0% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,011,107 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $991,132,000 after buying an additional 4,988,044 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,056.6% in the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,336,175 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $476,936,000 after acquiring an additional 3,961,255 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $201,358,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,045,472 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,754,751,000 after purchasing an additional 1,780,807 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 443.6% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,549,962 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $156,453,000 after purchasing an additional 1,264,842 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $86.79 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $73.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $86.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $95.32. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $82.00 and a 52-week high of $145.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.32.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for 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%. United Parcel Service’s revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.79 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $86.50 per share, for a total transaction of $432,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $878,840. This represents a 96.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome purchased 11,682 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $85.67 per share, with a total value of $1,000,796.94. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired 17,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,477,382 over the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $96.00 price objective (down from $125.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $103.00 to $97.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $110.16.

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.