Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Reduces Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd cut its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 23.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,012 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 12,979 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,730,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,056.6% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth approximately $201,358,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 worth $2,754,751,000 after purchasing an additional 1,780,807 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $145,846,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $86.50 per share, with a total value of $432,500.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $878,840. The trade was a 96.90% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome purchased 11,682 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $85.67 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,796.94. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at $2,117,591.06. This trade represents a 89.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of 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. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Redburn Atlantic dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $137.00 to $117.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $124.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Daiwa America dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $103.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $112.81.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $88.17 on Thursday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $97.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $103.68. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $84.28 and a 52 week high of $145.01. 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 has a market cap of $74.66 billion, a PE ratio of 13.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.12.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.79 EPS. The business's revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.

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