Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC Increases Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service (UPS) by 58.8%, acquiring an additional 4,271 shares, bringing their total holdings to 11,540 shares valued at approximately $1.27 million.
• Ups and downs in analyst ratings show a mix of sentiment; some analysts lowered price targets for UPS while BNP Paribas raised it to a hold rating.
• CEO Carol B. Tome made a significant insider purchase of 11,682 shares at an average price of $85.67, boosting her stake by 89.61%.

Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 58.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,540 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,271 shares during the period. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,269,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pinney & Scofield Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the first quarter worth $26,000. Marshall & Sterling Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Citizens National Bank Trust Department grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 525.0% in the first quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 250 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price 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. Citigroup dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $114.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Susquehanna dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Vertical Research reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $103.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $112.81.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

UPS traded up $1.2070 on Tuesday, hitting $87.7170. 7,213,793 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,957,637. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $96.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $102.44. The firm has a market cap of $74.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.12. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $84.28 and a one year high of $145.01. 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 (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). The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.79 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid 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 yield of 7.5%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is presently 97.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Carol B. Tome bought 11,682 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at $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 SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 acquisition, the director owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $878,840. This trade represents a 96.90% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.