DnB Asset Management AS Acquires 4,952 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• DnB Asset Management AS has increased its stake in United Parcel Service (UPS) by 1.9% during Q1, now holding 272,419 shares valued at approximately $29.96 million.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on UPS, with one strong buy, twelve buys, and a consensus hold rating, while price targets have recently been adjusted downwards.
• Insiders, including Chairman William R. Johnson and CEO Carol B. Tome, have made significant stock purchases, showing confidence in the company's future performance.

DnB Asset Management AS lifted its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 1.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 272,419 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 4,952 shares during the period. DnB Asset Management AS's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $29,963,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pinney & Scofield Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 525.0% in the 1st quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 250 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Finally, Hemington Wealth Management raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 68.9% in the 1st quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 282 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Carol B. Tome purchased 11,682 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was bought at an average price of $85.67 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,796.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,117,591.06. The trade was a 89.61% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was bought at an average price of $86.50 per share, with a total value of $432,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 10,160 shares of the company's stock, valued at $878,840. This represents a 96.90% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders purchased 17,182 shares of company stock worth $1,477,382. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Argus decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, May 23rd. BNP Paribas raised United Parcel Service to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $114.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $112.59.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS stock traded up $0.48 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $84.96. The stock had a trading volume of 8,580,388 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,905,999. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $83.67 and a one year high of $145.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.32. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $93.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.64, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.08.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.90 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.79 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.7%. 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.