Candriam S.C.A. Lowers Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. reduced its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. by 14.6%, owning 60,934 shares after selling 10,407 shares in the first quarter, valued at approximately $6.7 million.
• Goldman Sachs Group Inc. significantly increased its holdings by 124.0%, now owning over 9 million shares valued at approximately $991 million, as several institutional investors adjusted their stakes in UPS.
• UPS reported earnings per share of $1.55 for the last quarter, slightly missing estimates, while revenues were $21.20 billion, exceeding expectations.

Candriam S.C.A. trimmed its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 14.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 60,934 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 10,407 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $6,702,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Gallacher Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth approximately $620,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 61.3% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,576 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $173,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 5.9% during the first quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 3,467 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $381,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor Resource Council acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth approximately $437,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other United Parcel Service news, CEO Carol B. Tome purchased 11,682 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,117,591.06. The trade was a 89.61% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of the 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 acquisition, the director owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $878,840. This represents a 96.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Vertical Research reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $103.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Barclays decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $114.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $98.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $112.81.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE UPS traded up $2.5640 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $88.7140. The company had a trading volume of 10,224,234 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,257,072. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $84.28 and a 52 week high of $145.01. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $95.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $101.93. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $75.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.20, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.12.

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

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

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