Alberta Investment Management Corp Sells 28,700 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Key Points

• Alberta Investment Management Corp reduced its stake in United Parcel Service by 60.9%, resulting in ownership of 18,400 shares, valued at $2,024,000.
• Several institutional investors increased their positions in United Parcel Service, including Pacer Advisors Inc., which boosted holdings by 1,056.6%, now owning 4,336,175 shares.
• United Parcel Service's stock price was reported to be down 1.9%, with recent trading around $84.54 and a market cap of $71.59 billion.

Alberta Investment Management Corp lessened its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 60.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,400 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 28,700 shares during the period. Alberta Investment Management Corp's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,024,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 63.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 4,723 shares during the last quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $336,000. Prudential PLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 29,440 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,712,000 after acquiring an additional 2,334 shares during the last quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $27,587,000. Finally, Aviva PLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 32.1% during the 4th quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 441,124 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $55,626,000 after acquiring an additional 107,148 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Bernstein Bank upped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $133.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of United Parcel Service to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $124.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Argus dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $112.81.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of United Parcel Service stock traded up $0.75 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $85.77. 1,504,173 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,249,273. The company has a 50 day moving average of $99.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $105.51. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $84.28 and a fifty-two week high of $145.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The stock has a market cap of $72.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.12.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.79 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is currently 97.62%.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other news, CEO Carol B. Tome bought 11,682 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were bought 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. This trade represents a 89.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The stock was purchased 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 in the company, 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.

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.