United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Director Acquires $643,050.00 in Stock

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $128.61 per share, for a total transaction of $643,050.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $663,627.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE:UPS opened at $128.83 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $110.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.98. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $124.80 and a one year high of $189.65. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $137.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $145.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.25.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.20). The firm had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.54 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 13th were paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 10th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.06%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 94.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on UPS. Barclays cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $145.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $154.95.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Parcel Service

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Gleason Group Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,351 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $999,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Cullen Investment Group LTD. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.7% in the first quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 9,921 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,480,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,193 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,142,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.4% during the second quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,068 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $694,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.2% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,212 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $477,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.