Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Decreases Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System cut its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 1.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 38,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 600 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,906,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Bangor Savings Bank increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.9% in the second quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 5,413 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $546,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. First Dallas Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. First Dallas Securities Inc. now owns 11,421 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,256,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. TCV Trust & Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. TCV Trust & Wealth Management Inc. now owns 7,544 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $830,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,185 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $350,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, Wright Investors Service Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc. now owns 7,861 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $793,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $86.27 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $85.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.85. The company has a market cap of $73.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.10. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.00 and a 52 week high of $145.01.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.61% and a net margin of 6.34%.The business’s revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.79 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.6%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 97.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $114.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley reduced 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 report on Wednesday, July 30th. 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. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $114.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Galvan Research reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 30th. One 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $109.38.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $86.50 per share, for a total transaction of $432,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $878,840. This trade represents a 96.90% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Christiana Smith Shi bought 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $88.17 per share, with a total value of $44,085.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,085. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired a total of 17,182 shares of company stock worth $1,477,382 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.