Keating Investment Counselors Inc. Lowers Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Keating Investment Counselors Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 12.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,627 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 2,815 shares during the period. United Parcel Service comprises about 0.9% of Keating Investment Counselors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Keating Investment Counselors Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,686,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Chris Bulman Inc acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $142,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $6,531,000. Stonebrook Private Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 25.8% during the 2nd quarter. Stonebrook Private Inc. now owns 3,609 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $494,000 after acquiring an additional 741 shares during the period. Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. now owns 213,777 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,255,000 after acquiring an additional 1,222 shares during the period. Finally, Loudon Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.2% during the 2nd quarter. Loudon Investment Management LLC now owns 12,905 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,766,000 after acquiring an additional 1,700 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UPS. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Baird R W upgraded United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.20.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $127.54 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $131.59 and a 200-day moving average of $140.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.12 and a 52-week high of $163.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $109.12 billion, a PE ratio of 18.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 35.27%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.54 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th were given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.11%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 94.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $128.61 per share, with a total value of $643,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.