Baird Financial Group Inc. Purchases 3,679 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service (UPS) by 0.5% during the 1st quarter, holding a total of 756,388 shares valued at approximately $83.2 million.
• UPS reported a net revenue of $21.2 billion for the quarter, slightly exceeding analyst expectations, but saw a year-over-year decline of 2.7% in profitability.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.64 per share, providing a 7.5% yield, with a payout ratio of 97.62% as of the latest report.

Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 0.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 756,388 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,679 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of United Parcel Service worth $83,195,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UPS. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 63.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,529,000 after acquiring an additional 4,723 shares in the last quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $223,000. AXA S.A. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 43.7% in the fourth quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 290,801 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $36,670,000 after buying an additional 88,501 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 35.4% in the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 13,717 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,730,000 after buying an additional 3,588 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Trust Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 32.4% in the fourth quarter. American Trust Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,350 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $675,000 after buying an additional 1,310 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, CEO Carol B. Tome bought 11,682 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $85.67 per share, with a total value of $1,000,796.94. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,117,591.06. This represents a 89.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Christiana Smith Shi bought 500 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $88.17 per share, with a total value of $44,085.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,085. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders acquired 17,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,477,382. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $103.00 to $97.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $98.00 to $91.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $114.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $124.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $112.81.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS stock traded up $0.27 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $87.54. 6,834,049 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,057,620. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $84.28 and a 52-week high of $145.01. The stock has a market cap of $74.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.03, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The stock's 50-day moving average is $94.42 and its 200 day moving average is $100.71.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is currently 97.62%.

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.