United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Acquired by Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 72.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 37,076 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 15,631 shares during the quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,078,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 525.0% in the 1st quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 250 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $114.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Daiwa America reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $103.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. DA Davidson cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Galvan Research cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $112.81.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $86.50 per share, for a total transaction of $432,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at $878,840. This trade represents a 96.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome bought 11,682 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $85.67 per share, with a total value of $1,000,796.94. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 24,718 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,117,591.06. The trade was a 89.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $88.52 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $97.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $102.82. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $74.96 billion, a PE ratio of 13.17, a PEG ratio of 1.62 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 announced its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.79 EPS. On average, analysts predict 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 will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.4%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is presently 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.

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