West Tower Group LLC Boosts Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

West Tower Group LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 17.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,000 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the period. West Tower Group LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $404,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of UPS. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 63.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 4,723 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 5.9% in the first quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 3,467 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $381,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Advisor Resource Council purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the first quarter worth $437,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the first quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter valued at $152,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UPS. Bank of America dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $83.00 to $81.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays dropped their price target on 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. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $114.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $109.31.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $86.48 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $85.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $93.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.32. 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 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 company had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.79 EPS. Research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Christiana Smith Shi bought 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $88.17 per share, for a total transaction of $44,085.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,085. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $878,840. The trade was a 96.90% 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 worth $1,477,382 in the last ninety days. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.