Raymond James Financial Inc. Decreases Stock Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Raymond James Financial Inc. reduced its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.6%, owning approximately 3.1 million shares valued at $341.26 million after selling 19,320 shares.
• Wall Street analysts have generally set a neutral rating on UPS, with price targets ranging from $100 to $150 following several adjustments in recent months.
• CEO Carol B. Tome purchased 11,682 shares of the company's stock at an average price of $85.67 each, significantly increasing her ownership stake.

Raymond James Financial Inc. lessened its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 0.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,102,647 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 19,320 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.36% of United Parcel Service worth $341,260,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 525.0% during the first quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 250 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $103.00 to $97.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $124.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $112.81.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS traded up $1.2070 on Tuesday, hitting $87.7170. 7,213,793 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,459,596. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $96.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $102.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.05, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.61% and a net margin of 6.34%.The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.79 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

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

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.