United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Acquired by Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC.

Key Points

• Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. by 26% during the first quarter, owning a total of 20,045 shares worth approximately $2.2 million.
• Insider transactions include Director William R. Johnson and CEO Carol B. Tome buying significant shares, with Tome's purchase raising her ownership by nearly 90% to a value of over $2.1 million.
• Analysts have set varied price targets for UPS shares, with the current average rating being "Hold" and the average price target at $112.81.

Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 26.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 20,045 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,134 shares during the quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,205,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UPS. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 124.0% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,011,107 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $991,132,000 after purchasing an additional 4,988,044 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,056.6% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,336,175 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $476,936,000 after buying an additional 3,961,255 shares during the period. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth $145,846,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 19.7% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,463,930 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $815,102,000 after buying an additional 1,064,293 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.5% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,136,226 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $7,274,323,000 after buying an additional 999,832 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

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

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS traded down $0.51 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $86.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,325,788 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,847,141. 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 fifty-two week low of $84.28 and a fifty-two week high of $145.01. The firm's 50 day moving average is $98.89 and its 200-day moving average is $105.38. The firm has a market cap of $73.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01). United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.61% and a net margin of 6.34%. The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.90 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.79 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Redburn Atlantic cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $137.00 to $117.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised United Parcel Service to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Two research 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 MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $112.81.

United Parcel Service Company 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.