United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS Shares Purchased by IFM Investors Pty Ltd

Key Points

• IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its stake in United Parcel Service (UPS) by 2.7%, owning 134,975 shares valued at approximately $13.6 million.
• Overall, 60.26% of UPS stock is held by institutional investors, with several funds significantly increasing their positions during the recent quarters.
• UPS recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.64 per share, contributing to an annualized dividend yield of 7.8% despite a payout ratio of 97.62%.

IFM Investors Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 134,975 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,537 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $13,624,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 63.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,529,000 after acquiring an additional 4,723 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $2,769,000. PharVision Advisers LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth $204,000. First Heartland Consultants Inc. purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $210,000. Finally, RB Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 1,975 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $249,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $86.50 per share, for a total transaction of $432,500.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Christiana Smith Shi purchased 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $88.17 per share, with a total value of $44,085.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,085. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders bought 17,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,477,382. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $114.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Bank of America reiterated an "underperform" rating and issued a $83.00 target price (down from $91.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Thursday, September 11th. Wolfe Research dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $113.00 to $112.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, Barclays lowered 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 note on Thursday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $111.44.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS stock traded down $0.91 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $84.14. The stock had a trading volume of 18,090,067 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,575,006. The company has a market cap of $71.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.00 and a 12-month high of $145.01. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $89.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $97.66.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for 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 revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.79 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 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.