Ellis Investment Partners LLC Takes $509,000 Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Ellis Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 3,722 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $509,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Northwest Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Security National Bank bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 869.6% during the first quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 223 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $128.61 per share, for a total transaction of $643,050.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at $663,627.60. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the subject of several research reports. 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 report on Monday, July 22nd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $145.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.20.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.1 %

UPS traded up $0.14 during trading on Friday, hitting $127.54. 3,590,415 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,260,735. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $131.59 and a 200 day moving average of $140.63. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.12 and a 12-month high of $163.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $109.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.99.

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

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 94.49%.

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.