Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC Sells 18,118 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Key Points

• Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC has reduced its stake in United Parcel Service (UPS) by 71.9%, selling 18,118 shares and now holding 7,075 shares valued at approximately $778,000.
• Vanguard Group and Goldman Sachs both increased their stakes in UPS, with Vanguard growing its holdings by 1.5% and Goldman Sachs increasing its holdings by 124.0% during the same quarter.
• United Parcel Service recently announced a $1.64 quarterly dividend with a yield of 7.4%, set to be paid on September 4th to investors of record as of August 18th.

Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC decreased its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 71.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,075 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 18,118 shares during the period. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $778,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in United Parcel Service by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,136,226 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $7,274,323,000 after buying an additional 999,832 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,045,472 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,754,751,000 after purchasing an additional 1,780,807 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 124.0% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,011,107 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $991,132,000 after purchasing an additional 4,988,044 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,391,605 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $932,081,000 after purchasing an additional 648,539 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 19.7% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,463,930 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $815,102,000 after purchasing an additional 1,064,293 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on UPS. Hsbc Global Res lowered United Parcel Service from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $114.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 31st. DA Davidson reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Stephens reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $101.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $112.81.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $88.52 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $97.24 and its 200 day moving average is $103.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.32. The firm has a market cap of $74.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.12. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $84.28 and a one year high of $145.01.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is currently 97.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $86.50 per share, with a total value of $432,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at $878,840. The trade was a 96.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome acquired 11,682 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $85.67 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,796.94. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 24,718 shares of the company's stock, 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. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

United Parcel Service 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.

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