Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Sells 160,549 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Bahl & Gaynor Inc. reduced its shares in United Parcel Service (UPS) by 56.0%, selling 160,549 shares and leaving them with 125,943 shares valued at $13,852,000.
• CEO Carol B. Tome bought 11,682 shares at $85.67 each, increasing her ownership by 89.61%, while Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares, boosting his stake by 96.90%.
• Analyst ratings for UPS have changed, with several firms lowering their price targets; the current consensus rating is "Hold" with an average target price of $112.81.

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. reduced its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 56.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 125,943 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 160,549 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $13,852,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 7,227 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $911,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the first quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 4,124 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $454,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. TCV Trust & Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.4% during the first quarter. TCV Trust & Wealth Management Inc. now owns 7,544 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $830,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Diligent Investors LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Diligent Investors LLC now owns 6,722 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $848,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.2% during the first quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,895 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $208,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, CEO Carol B. Tome bought 11,682 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $85.67 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,796.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at $2,117,591.06. This trade represents a 89.61% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The shares were bought at an average price of $86.50 per share, with a total value of $432,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 10,160 shares of the company's stock, valued at $878,840. The trade was a 96.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on UPS. Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Argus lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $114.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $98.00 to $91.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $112.81.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS opened at $88.7140 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $75.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.20, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $95.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $101.93. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $84.28 and a twelve month high of $145.01.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.79 EPS. United Parcel Service's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.4%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is presently 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.

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