United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Stake Lessened by Trillium Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Trillium Asset Management LLC significantly reduced its holdings in United Parcel Service, decreasing its stake by 92.4% and resulting in ownership of 7,683 shares valued at approximately $845,000.
• Analysts have downgraded UPS's stock ratings, with HSBC moving from a "buy" to a "hold" rating and several firms cutting their price targets, bringing the current consensus to $112.81.
• CEO Carol B. Tome and Director William R. Johnson both made personal purchases of company stocks recently, increasing their positions significantly, indicating confidence in the company's future.

Trillium Asset Management LLC lowered its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 92.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,683 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 93,947 shares during the period. Trillium Asset Management LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $845,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew 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. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew 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. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter valued at $201,358,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew 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. Finally, Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $145,846,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $86.50 per share, with a total value of $432,500.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at $878,840. This trade represents a 96.90% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome purchased 11,682 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $85.67 per share, with a total value of $1,000,796.94. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at $2,117,591.06. This represents 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on UPS shares. Hsbc Global Res lowered United Parcel Service from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Bernstein Bank increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $133.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Redburn Atlantic reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $137.00 to $117.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised United Parcel Service to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Two investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $112.81.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of United Parcel Service stock traded up $0.74 on Wednesday, reaching $88.17. 13,583,232 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,590,222. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.32. The company's 50-day moving average is $97.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $103.68. The firm has a market cap of $74.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.12. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $84.28 and a 1-year high of $145.01.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.90 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.79 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.62%.

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.