United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Bought by Wellington Shields & Co. LLC

Wellington Shields & Co. LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 27.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,125 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 900 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $565,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,218,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $10,568,798,000 after purchasing an additional 178,394 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 87.6% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,152,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,854,180,000 after acquiring an additional 8,475,698 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,607,055 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,510,517,000 after acquiring an additional 980,317 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $1,128,322,000. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 6,671,306 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $991,556,000 after purchasing an additional 406,248 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $128.61 per share, for a total transaction of $643,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $663,627.60. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UPS. Baird R W raised shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. TD Cowen started coverage on United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $144.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.20.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $129.83 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $131.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $140.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $111.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.82, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.12 and a 52 week high of $163.82.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.20). United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 35.27%. The business had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.54 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 94.49%.

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.