Inspire Trust Co. N.A. Raises Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Inspire Trust Co. N.A. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 28.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,000 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,000 shares during the quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,960,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. TCV Trust & Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Diligent Investors LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on UPS shares. UBS Group reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $124.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded United Parcel Service from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Stephens reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $101.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $114.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Two research 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $112.81.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE:UPS opened at $88.17 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $74.66 billion, a PE ratio of 13.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.12. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $97.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $103.68. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $84.28 and a 12-month 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.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts' expectations of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.79 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 97.62%.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was bought 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $878,840. This represents a 96.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome purchased 11,682 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $85.67 per share, with a total value of $1,000,796.94. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly 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. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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