United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Key Points

• Maryland State Retirement & Pension System reduced its holdings in United Parcel Service (UPS) by 13.7% during the 1st quarter, now owning 34,088 shares, valued at approximately $3.75 million.
• UPS's CEO Carol B. Tome and Director William R. Johnson significantly increased their stock holdings, with Tome acquiring 11,682 shares and Johnson buying 5,000 shares, reflecting considerable confidence in the company.
• Analysts have set a consensus target price of $112.81 for UPS, with a mix of ratings that includes two sell ratings, seventeen hold, and eleven buy ratings.

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System cut its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 13.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,088 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 5,418 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,749,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 202.1% during the 1st quarter. Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 61,755 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $6,792,000 after buying an additional 41,314 shares during the period. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 14.3% during the 1st quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC now owns 46,789 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $5,146,000 after buying an additional 5,836 shares during the period. Keynote Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 71.3% during the 1st quarter. Keynote Financial Services LLC now owns 6,337 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $697,000 after buying an additional 2,637 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 71.9% during the 1st quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 15,177 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,669,000 after buying an additional 6,347 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 17.4% during the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,894,755 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $318,394,000 after buying an additional 430,013 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other news, CEO Carol B. Tome acquired 11,682 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated 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 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $86.50 per share, with a total value of $432,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 10,160 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $878,840. The trade was a 96.90% 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on UPS. Wall Street Zen lowered United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $98.00 to $91.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Loop Capital cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $112.81.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.2%

United Parcel Service stock traded up $0.16 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $86.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,275,090 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,095,052. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $98.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $104.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.09. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $84.28 and a 52-week high of $145.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.89, a PEG ratio of 1.57 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 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 quarter last year, the business posted $1.79 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current 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 paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.6%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.