Harvest Investment Advisors LLC Buys 3,107 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Key Points

• Harvest Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 27%, owning a total of 14,632 shares valued at approximately $1.6 million by the end of the most recent quarter.
• United Parcel Service reported $1.55 EPS for the last quarter, missing estimates by $0.01, with revenues of $21.20 billion, down 2.7% compared to the previous year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.64 to be paid on September 4th, representing a 7.6% yield with a high dividend payout ratio of 97.62%.

Harvest Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 27.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,632 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,107 shares during the period. Harvest Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,609,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in UPS. Colonial Trust Co SC grew its position in United Parcel Service by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 7,227 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $911,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.5% in the first quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 4,124 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $454,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. TCV Trust & Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.4% in the first quarter. TCV Trust & Wealth Management Inc. now owns 7,544 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $830,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 2,054 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diligent Investors LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Diligent Investors LLC now owns 6,722 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $848,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $86.65 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $84.28 and a twelve month high of $145.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $98.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $104.44.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.79 earnings per share. United Parcel Service's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.62%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $86.50 per share, with a total value of $432,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at $878,840. This represents a 96.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome bought 11,682 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $85.67 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,796.94. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Loop Capital cut their price target on shares of 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. Citigroup cut 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 cut 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 note on Wednesday, July 30th. Wolfe Research cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $113.00 to $112.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $112.81.

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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