Strategic Blueprint LLC Cuts Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Strategic Blueprint LLC lessened its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 14.0% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 8,640 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,405 shares during the period. Strategic Blueprint LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $872,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC now owns 954,426 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $96,340,000 after acquiring an additional 51,332 shares in the last quarter. RNC Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 21.6% during the 2nd quarter. RNC Capital Management LLC now owns 448,485 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $45,270,000 after acquiring an additional 79,815 shares in the last quarter. Ethic Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 20.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 33,118 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,351,000 after acquiring an additional 5,583 shares in the last quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 9,428 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $952,000 after acquiring an additional 565 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steel Grove Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter. Steel Grove Capital Advisors LLC now owns 15,412 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,556,000 after acquiring an additional 932 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $98.00 to $91.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $96.00 price target (down previously from $125.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Friday, September 19th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, September 20th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $109.31.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $87.21 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $85.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $93.17. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.00 and a 12-month high of $140.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The stock has a market cap of $73.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.98, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.10.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.79 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of the firm’s 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 purchase, the director directly owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $878,840. This trade represents a 96.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome purchased 11,682 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $85.67 per share, with a total value of $1,000,796.94. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at $2,117,591.06. This trade represents a 89.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired a total of 17,182 shares of company stock worth $1,477,382 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.