Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC Purchases New Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC initiated a new position in United Parcel Service, buying 18,400 shares valued at about $1.54 million in the third quarter per its 13F filing.
• UPS beat quarterly estimates with $2.38 EPS (vs. $2.20 expected) and $24.48B revenue (vs. $23.91B expected), though revenue was down 3.2% year-over-year; the stock trades at a ~15.4 P/E with a market cap near $85.7B.
• UPS pays a quarterly dividend that annualizes to a 6.5% yield with a 100% payout ratio, insiders recently sold shares (25,014 disclosed), and institutional ownership is about 60.26%.

Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 18,400 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,537,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of UPS. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 110.1% in the 2nd quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd now owns 250 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Salzhauer Michael purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the third quarter worth $31,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 76.5% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 376 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Avion Wealth increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 284.1% in the 3rd quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 434 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $100.92 on Wednesday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $110.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $97.79. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $82.00 and a 52-week high of $122.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22. The company has a market cap of $85.69 billion, a PE ratio of 15.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.08.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $24.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.91 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 38.30%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.75 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.5%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on UPS. Weiss Ratings raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $107.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on United Parcel Service from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $113.67.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 25,014 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.15, for a total transaction of $2,655,236.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Parcel Service Profile

United Parcel Service NYSE: UPS is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.

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