United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS Stake Lessened by USS Investment Management Ltd

Key Points

• USS Investment Management Ltd reduced its stake in United Parcel Service (UPS) by 41.8%, selling 92,371 shares, leaving them with 128,600 shares valued at approximately $14.1 million.
• Several analysts have revised their price targets for UPS, with new targets ranging from $80 to $124, while the company holds a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $112.59.
• CEO Carol B. Tome significantly increased her ownership in UPS by purchasing 11,682 shares, representing a 89.61% increase in her stake, as insiders bought a total of 17,182 shares in the last 90 days.

USS Investment Management Ltd trimmed its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 41.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 128,600 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 92,371 shares during the quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $14,145,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 124.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,011,107 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $991,132,000 after acquiring an additional 4,988,044 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1,056.6% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,336,175 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $476,936,000 after buying an additional 3,961,255 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the first quarter valued at approximately $201,358,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 7.7% during the first 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 period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 582.0% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,180,709 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $128,886,000 after buying an additional 1,007,585 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other news, CEO Carol B. Tome bought 11,682 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, the chief executive officer owned 24,718 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,117,591.06. The trade was a 89.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Christiana Smith Shi purchased 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $88.17 per share, with a total value of $44,085.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $44,085. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders bought 17,182 shares of company stock worth $1,477,382. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE UPS traded up $0.33 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $84.18. 5,965,069 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,583,579. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $82.00 and a 52-week high of $145.01. The firm's 50-day moving average is $92.01 and its 200-day moving average is $99.41. 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 company has a market capitalization of $71.35 billion, a PE ratio of 12.53, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.08.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.61% and a net margin of 6.34%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.79 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.8%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is currently 97.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the subject of several research reports. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of United Parcel Service to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. Galvan Research cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 30th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $114.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $107.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $124.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $112.34.

About United Parcel Service

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.