Penn Davis Mcfarland Inc. Boosts Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Penn Davis Mcfarland Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service (UPS) by 19.3% in Q2, acquiring an additional 6,242 shares to bring its total to 38,602 shares valued at approximately $3.9 million.
• Research firms have lowered UPS's price targets, with BMO Capital Markets setting a new target of $96.00, resulting in a consensus rating of Hold with a target of $111.44.
• CEO Carol B. Tome significantly increased her stake by acquiring 11,682 shares at an average price of $85.67, indicating strong insider confidence in the stock.

Penn Davis Mcfarland Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 19.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,602 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 6,242 shares during the quarter. Penn Davis Mcfarland Inc.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,896,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. bought a new stake in United Parcel Service during the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 525.0% during the first quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 250 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 68.9% during the 1st quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 282 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on UPS. BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating and set a $96.00 target price (down previously from $125.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Vertical Research reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $103.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $103.00 to $97.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $124.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $111.44.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.5%

UPS opened at $83.98 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $88.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $97.06. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.00 and a 52 week high of $145.01. The company has a market capitalization of $71.18 billion, a PE ratio of 12.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 return on equity of 39.61% and a net margin of 6.34%.The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.79 earnings per share. United Parcel Service's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.8%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.62%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, CEO Carol B. Tome acquired 11,682 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $85.67 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,796.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 24,718 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,117,591.06. This trade represents a 89.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Christiana Smith Shi bought 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $88.17 per share, for a total transaction of $44,085.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,085. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders acquired 17,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,477,382. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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