Confluence Investment Management LLC Increases Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Confluence Investment Management LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. by 5.2%, owning a total of 671,771 shares valued at approximately $67.8 million.
• UPS reported quarterly earnings of $1.55 per share, slightly missing estimates, while revenue reached $21.20 billion, exceeding expectations.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.64 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $6.56 and a yield of 7.8%.

Confluence Investment Management LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 5.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 671,771 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 33,164 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.08% of United Parcel Service worth $67,809,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Insider Activity

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director directly 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Christiana Smith Shi bought 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $88.17 per share, with a total value of $44,085.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,085. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired a total of 17,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,477,382 in the last ninety days. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on UPS. Bank of America reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and set a $83.00 price objective (down previously from $91.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $98.00 to $91.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Argus decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $112.34.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE:UPS traded down $0.28 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $84.07. 6,372,705 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,603,825. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $91.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $98.71. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $82.00 and a one year high of $145.01. The company has a market cap of $71.26 billion, a PE ratio of 12.51, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.08.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01). United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. The company had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.79 earnings per share. United Parcel Service's revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.8%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.