Groupama Asset Managment Buys 11,390 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Groupama Asset Managment increased its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. by 176.5%, acquiring an additional 11,390 shares to bring its total holdings to 17,845 shares, valued at approximately $1.96 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Berkshire Asset Management and Edgar Lomax Co., also significantly increased their positions in UPS, with increases of 57.1% and 235.5%, respectively.
• Analysts have set mixed ratings for UPS, with eleven buy ratings, sixteen holds, and a price target reduction bringing the average target to $112.81.

Groupama Asset Managment grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 176.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,845 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 11,390 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,957,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 57.1% during the first quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA now owns 9,251 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,018,000 after purchasing an additional 3,364 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 96.4% in the 1st quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 100,009 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $11,000,000 after purchasing an additional 49,087 shares during the period. Edgar Lomax Co. VA boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 235.5% in the 1st quarter. Edgar Lomax Co. VA now owns 216,810 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $23,847,000 after purchasing an additional 152,190 shares during the period. Cladis Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 30.8% in the 1st quarter. Cladis Investment Advisory LLC now owns 15,716 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,729,000 after buying an additional 3,701 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 58.8% during the 1st quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC now owns 11,540 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,269,000 after buying an additional 4,271 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. Hsbc Global Res downgraded United Parcel Service from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $117.00 to $107.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. UBS Group reduced 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. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $114.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company 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, sixteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $112.81.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 1.4%

UPS opened at $87.7170 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $74.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.05, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.12. 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 company's 50 day moving average is $96.69 and its 200-day moving average is $102.44. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $84.28 and a 1-year high of $145.01.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.79 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The stock was bought at an average price 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 of the company's stock, valued at $878,840. This represents a 96.90% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome acquired 11,682 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $85.67 per share, with a total value of $1,000,796.94. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at $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 own 0.13% of the company's stock.

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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