Freedom Investment Management Inc. Has $383,000 Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Freedoms Investment Management Inc. has reduced its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. by 47.0%, now holding 3,484 shares worth approximately $383,000.
• UPS reported $1.55 EPS for the last quarter, missing estimates, with a year-over-year revenue decline of 2.7% to $21.20 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.64, yielding 7.5%, with a payout ratio of 97.62%.

Freedom Investment Management Inc. lessened its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 47.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,484 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 3,084 shares during the period. Freedom Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $383,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Gallacher Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth $620,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 61.3% in the 1st 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 last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 5.9% in the 1st 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 last quarter. Finally, Advisor Resource Council acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth $437,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Christiana Smith Shi purchased 500 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,085. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was bought 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $878,840. The trade was a 96.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 17,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,477,382 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE UPS traded up $0.27 on Friday, reaching $87.54. The stock had a trading volume of 6,834,049 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,279,527. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $94.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $101.11. 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 1 year low of $84.28 and a 1 year high of $145.01. The company has a market capitalization of $74.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 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 analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.90 billion. During the same quarter last 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. On average, analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business 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 $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.5%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is currently 97.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UPS. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded United Parcel Service from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. Wolfe Research decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $113.00 to $112.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Galvan Research lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $112.81.

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.