United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lowered its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 11.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 344,554 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 46,737 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $37,883,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in United Parcel Service by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,136,226 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $7,274,323,000 after purchasing an additional 999,832 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in United Parcel Service by 7.7% in the 1st 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 purchasing an additional 1,780,807 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in United Parcel Service by 124.0% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,011,107 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $991,132,000 after purchasing an additional 4,988,044 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in United Parcel Service by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,391,605 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $932,081,000 after purchasing an additional 648,539 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in United Parcel Service by 19.7% in the 4th 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 purchasing an additional 1,064,293 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Stephens cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $101.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. BNP Paribas Exane raised United Parcel Service from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Finally, Loop Capital cut their target price 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $112.81.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, CEO Carol B. Tome acquired 11,682 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $85.67 per share, with a total value of $1,000,796.94. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer 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 SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $86.50 per share, with a total value of $432,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 10,160 shares of the company's stock, valued at $878,840. The trade was a 96.90% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $88.52. The company had a trading volume of 8,843,256 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,459,618. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.32. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $97.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $103.03. The stock has a market cap of $74.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.17, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.12. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $84.28 and a 52-week 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 the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.79 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.62%.

United Parcel Service 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.