Focus Partners Wealth Reduces Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Focus Partners Wealth decreased its stake in United Parcel Service by 9.2%, ending the first quarter with 385,838 shares valued at approximately $42.4 million.
• United Parcel Service reported Q2 earnings of $1.55 per share, slightly missing estimates, with revenue of $21.20 billion, which was above analyst expectations but down 2.7% from the previous year.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $1.64 on September 4th, yielding 7.8% with a payout ratio of 97.62%.

Focus Partners Wealth trimmed its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 9.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 385,838 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 39,074 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $42,439,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,136,226 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $7,274,323,000 after buying an additional 999,832 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,045,472 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,754,751,000 after buying an additional 1,780,807 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 124.0% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,011,107 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $991,132,000 after buying an additional 4,988,044 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,415,523 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $815,633,000 after buying an additional 23,918 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 4,719,145 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $519,059,000 after buying an additional 171,303 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $84.40. The company had a trading volume of 5,538,954 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,754,306. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.00 and a twelve month high of $145.01. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $91.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $98.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.08.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. The company had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.79 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 97.62%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, CEO Carol B. Tome acquired 11,682 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $85.67 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,796.94. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 24,718 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,117,591.06. This trade represents a 89.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Christiana Smith Shi acquired 500 shares of United Parcel Service 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 directly owned 500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,085. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 17,182 shares of company stock worth $1,477,382 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wolfe Research dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $113.00 to $112.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $124.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 7th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $124.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $114.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. One 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $112.34.

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.