Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC Sells 7,884 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC has reduced its holdings in United Parcel Service (UPS) by 60%, selling 7,884 shares to own a total of 5,256 shares worth $578,000.
• UPS reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $1.55 for the last quarter, missing estimates slightly, while revenue stood at $21.20 billion, surpassing analyst expectations.
• The company's recent quarterly dividend is set at $1.64, with a yield of 7.5%, and will be issued to investors of record by September 4th.

Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC decreased its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 60.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,256 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 7,884 shares during the quarter. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $578,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 999,832 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 7.7% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,780,807 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 124.0% in 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 purchasing an additional 4,988,044 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,415,523 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $815,633,000 after purchasing an additional 23,918 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 19.7% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was bought at an average price of $86.50 per share, with a total value of $432,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at $878,840. The trade was a 96.90% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome acquired 11,682 shares of the firm's 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 acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at $2,117,591.06. The trade was a 89.61% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $87.7170 on Wednesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $84.28 and a 1 year high of $145.01. The firm has a market cap of $74.35 billion, a PE ratio of 13.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.12. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $96.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $102.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.32.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01). United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.79 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.5%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wolfe Research lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $113.00 to $112.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $130.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $112.81.

United Parcel Service Company 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.

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