Bayforest Capital Ltd Grows Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Bayforest Capital Ltd significantly increased its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. by 1,539.2% during the first quarter, owning 8,327 shares valued at approximately $916,000.
• CEO Carol B. Tome purchased 11,682 shares of UPS stock, increasing her ownership by 89.61% to 24,718 shares, valued at about $2.1 million.
• UPS has seen a consensus price target of $112.59 from analysts, with varying ratings including one Strong Buy and several Buy and Hold ratings.

Bayforest Capital Ltd grew its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 1,539.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,327 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 7,819 shares during the quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $916,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in UPS. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 63.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,529,000 after acquiring an additional 4,723 shares in the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 103.9% in the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 50,757 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $6,400,000 after acquiring an additional 25,861 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 316.7% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,122,886 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $141,581,000 after acquiring an additional 853,388 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 52.1% in the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 5,375 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $677,000 after acquiring an additional 1,842 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 108,976 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $13,736,000 after acquiring an additional 10,074 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on UPS. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $114.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $114.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. BNP Paribas raised shares of United Parcel Service to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $112.59.

Insider Activity

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Christiana Smith Shi purchased 500 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $88.17 per share, with a total value of $44,085.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,085. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome purchased 11,682 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $85.67 per share, with a total value of $1,000,796.94. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 acquired 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 Down 0.6%

United Parcel Service stock traded down $0.49 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $83.91. The stock had a trading volume of 6,663,812 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,203,427. 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 company has a market capitalization of $71.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.49, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $92.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $99.41. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $83.05 and a one year 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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. United Parcel Service's revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.79 EPS. On average, analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.8%. United Parcel Service's dividend 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.