Orca Investment Management LLC Acquires 3,144 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Orca Investment Management LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service (UPS) by 21.2%, acquiring an additional 3,144 shares, bringing its total to 17,958 shares valued at approximately $1.81 million.
• Analysts have adjusted their price targets for UPS, with the consensus target now at $109.38, while ratings range from Strong Buy to Sell.
• UPS recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.64 per share, translating to an annualized dividend yield of 7.9% and a high payout ratio of 97.62%.

Orca Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 21.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 17,958 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,144 shares during the period. United Parcel Service comprises 1.6% of Orca Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Orca Investment Management LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,813,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised 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 acquiring an additional 999,832 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 7.7% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,045,472 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,754,751,000 after acquiring an additional 1,780,807 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 124.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,011,107 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $991,132,000 after acquiring an additional 4,988,044 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,415,523 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $815,633,000 after acquiring an additional 23,918 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.8% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 4,719,145 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $519,059,000 after buying an additional 171,303 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $103.00 to $97.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $98.00 to $91.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $118.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $96.00 to $85.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of United Parcel Service to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $109.38.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 2.7%

NYSE:UPS opened at $82.97 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.35, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $85.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.34. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.00 and a 12 month high of $145.01.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted 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). The company had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.61% and a net margin of 6.34%.The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.79 earnings per share. Analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.62%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director Christiana Smith Shi acquired 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $88.17 per share, with a total value of $44,085.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,085. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $86.50 per share, for a total transaction of $432,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 10,160 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $878,840. This trade represents a 96.90% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought 17,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,477,382 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

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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