Groupe la Francaise Has $1.76 Million Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Groupe la Francaise reduced its holdings in United Parcel Service (UPS) by 15.4%, now owning 16,050 shares valued at approximately $1.76 million.
• Several institutional investors significantly increased their stakes in UPS during the first quarter, with Goldman Sachs boosting its position by 124% and Pacer Advisors increasing by 1,056.6%.
• UPS announced a quarterly dividend of $1.64 per share, which yields about 7.4%, with a payout ratio currently at 97.62%.

Groupe la Francaise cut its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 15.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 16,050 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 2,928 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,764,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 124.0% in 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 position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,056.6% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,336,175 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $476,936,000 after acquiring an additional 3,961,255 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth approximately $201,358,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 7.7% during the first 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 period. Finally, Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $145,846,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Daiwa America decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $103.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Bernstein Bank lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $133.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $98.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of United Parcel Service to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. Finally, HSBC cut United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $140.00 to $105.00 in a report on Thursday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $112.81.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 purchased at an average price of $85.67 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,796.94. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 24,718 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,117,591.06. This trade represents a 89.61% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $86.50 per share, for a total transaction of $432,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director 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.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS opened at $88.7140 on Monday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $84.28 and a 1 year high of $145.01. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $95.89 and a 200-day moving average of $101.85. 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 has a market capitalization of $75.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.12.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 39.61% and a net margin of 6.34%.The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.79 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.62%.

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.

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