Sciencast Management LP Purchases 7,742 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Sciencast Management LP increased its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. by 32.0%, owning 31,918 shares valued at approximately $3.51 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• United Parcel Service reported an EPS of $1.55 for the last quarter, missing the consensus estimate by $0.01, while its revenue was $21.20 billion, slightly exceeding forecasts.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.64 per share, yielding 7.7%, with a payout ratio of 97.62%.

Sciencast Management LP lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 32.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 31,918 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,742 shares during the quarter. Sciencast Management LP's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,511,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $7,274,323,000 after acquiring an additional 999,832 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 7.7% during 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 buying an additional 1,780,807 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised 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 valued at $991,132,000 after buying an additional 4,988,044 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,415,523 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $815,633,000 after buying an additional 23,918 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1,056.6% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,336,175 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $476,936,000 after buying an additional 3,961,255 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $114.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Evercore ISI lowered their price target 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. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $98.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $98.00 to $91.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $112.59.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director directly owned 10,160 shares of the company's stock, valued at $878,840. This represents a 96.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome bought 11,682 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,117,591.06. This trade represents a 89.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired 17,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,477,382 in the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 0.6%

United Parcel Service stock traded down $0.49 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $83.91. 6,663,812 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,588,796. 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 firm's 50 day moving average price is $92.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $99.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.08. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $83.05 and a 52-week high of $145.01.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.61% and a net margin of 6.34%.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 company earned $1.79 earnings per share. On average, 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were given 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 is currently 97.62%.

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.