Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. Sells 13,576 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. has reduced its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. by 19.9%, now holding 54,595 shares worth approximately $5.5 million.
• Insider trading shows active investments; CEO Carol B. Tome increased her holdings by 89.61% with a purchase of 11,682 shares, while Director Christiana Smith Shi bought 500 shares.
• Despite a decrease in quarterly earnings, UBS Group and other analysts have set price targets, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a target price of $111.44.

Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. trimmed its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 19.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 54,595 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 13,576 shares during the quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $5,511,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Gallacher Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth approximately $620,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 61.3% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,576 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $173,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 3,467 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $381,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisor Resource Council acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth $437,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on UPS. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Galvan Research lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 30th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $107.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Vertical Research reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $103.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $111.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $86.50 per share, for a total transaction of $432,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $878,840. The trade was a 96.90% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome bought 11,682 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was bought at an average price of $85.67 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,796.94. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 24,718 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,117,591.06. The trade was a 89.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought a total of 17,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,477,382 in the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS stock traded up $0.37 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $84.43. 10,216,923 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,969,482. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $89.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $97.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.08. 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 twelve month low of $82.00 and a twelve month high of $145.01.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.01). United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.61% and a net margin of 6.34%.The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.79 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.8%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is 97.62%.

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.