First Manhattan CO. LLC. Decreases Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• First Manhattan CO. LLC sold 17,303 shares of United Parcel Service, decreasing its position by 18.6%, leaving it with 75,892 shares valued at approximately $8.35 million.
• Insider trades included Director William R. Johnson acquiring 5,000 shares and CEO Carol B. Tome purchasing 11,682 shares, significantly increasing their positions by 96.90% and 89.61%, respectively.
• Recent analyst ratings for UPS showed mixed reviews, with target prices ranging from $75.00 to $137.00 and a consensus rating of "Hold."

First Manhattan CO. LLC. lowered its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 18.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 75,892 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 17,303 shares during the period. First Manhattan CO. LLC.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $8,347,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gallacher Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth approximately $620,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 599 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor Resource Council bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the first quarter worth approximately $437,000. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of United Parcel Service stock traded up $0.02 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $85.25. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,394,032 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,512,441. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.32. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $84.28 and a 52 week high of $145.01. The stock has a market cap of $72.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $94.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $100.60.

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 return on equity of 39.61% and a net margin of 6.34%.The business had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.79 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.7%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is 97.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The shares were bought at an average price of $86.50 per share, for a total transaction of $432,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 10,160 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $878,840. The trade was a 96.90% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome bought 11,682 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $85.67 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,796.94. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at $2,117,591.06. The trade was a 89.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 17,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,477,382. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays dropped their price target 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. Argus dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of United Parcel Service to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $98.00 to $91.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $112.59.

United Parcel Service Company 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.