Swedbank AB Increases Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Swedbank AB increased its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. by 2.3%, acquiring an additional 6,989 shares in the first quarter, bringing its total to 305,077 shares valued at approximately $33.56 million.
• Insider trading activity saw both Director William R. Johnson and CEO Carol B. Tome significantly increase their shareholdings, with Johnson purchasing 5,000 shares and Tome acquiring 11,682 shares at prices around $86.50 and $85.67 respectively.
• Despite a recent decline in stock price, analysts maintain a consensus "Hold" rating for UPS, with a target price of $112.34, although some firms have lowered their price objectives.

Swedbank AB grew its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 2.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 305,077 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,989 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $33,555,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 63.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,529,000 after acquiring an additional 4,723 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 52.1% during the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 5,375 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $677,000 after acquiring an additional 1,842 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 106,207 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $13,393,000 after acquiring an additional 12,771 shares in the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth $409,000. Finally, Rafferty Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 81,867 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $10,323,000 after buying an additional 11,322 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $98.00 to $91.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of United Parcel Service to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup lowered their target price 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. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $112.34.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other news, CEO Carol B. Tome purchased 11,682 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price 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 acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Christiana Smith Shi purchased 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $88.17 per share, for a total transaction of $44,085.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,085. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 17,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,477,382. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE:UPS traded down $0.28 on Monday, reaching $84.07. 6,372,705 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,603,825. 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 has a market cap of $71.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.08. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.00 and a 52 week high of $145.01. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $91.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $98.71.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.61% and a net margin of 6.34%.United Parcel Service's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.79 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.8%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio 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.