Novem Group Purchases Shares of 2,581 United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Novem Group acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 2,581 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $284,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the first quarter worth $37,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 3,467 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $381,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Advisor Resource Council purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth about $437,000. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 11,427 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,441,000 after purchasing an additional 1,440 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 63.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 4,723 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on UPS. Barclays cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $124.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. HSBC downgraded United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $105.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $119.29.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE UPS traded down $1.30 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $104.24. 2,961,254 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,219,802. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.55 and a 12 month high of $148.15. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $98.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $109.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The company has a market cap of $88.27 billion, a PE ratio of 15.20, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.21.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.11. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 40.15% and a net margin of 6.44%. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.43 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .9% 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 Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.29%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.63%.

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.