Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Decreases Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund trimmed its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 71.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 23,108 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 58,900 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,542,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 124.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,011,107 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $991,132,000 after buying an additional 4,988,044 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 1,056.6% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,336,175 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $476,936,000 after purchasing an additional 3,961,255 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at about $201,358,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in 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 valued at $2,754,751,000 after purchasing an additional 1,780,807 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $145,846,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS traded up $1.2070 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $87.7170. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,213,793 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,459,596. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $84.28 and a 1 year high of $145.01. 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 stock has a market cap of $74.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.05, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.12. The business's fifty day moving average is $96.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $102.54.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm 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%.The company's revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.79 EPS. Analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.5%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. UBS Group decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $124.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Loop Capital cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Susquehanna cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res lowered United Parcel Service from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $112.81.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Carol B. Tome acquired 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, for a total transaction of $1,000,796.94. Following the acquisition, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $86.50 per share, for a total transaction of $432,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $878,840. This represents a 96.90% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

About United Parcel Service

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.