Perpetual Ltd Grows Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Perpetual Ltd grew its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,602 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 1,873 shares during the quarter. Perpetual Ltd’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,264,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake 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 worth $2,854,180,000 after acquiring an additional 8,475,698 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 284.8% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,569,831 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $351,681,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901,914 shares in the last quarter. Spirepoint Private Client LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the first quarter valued at approximately $160,787,000. Confluence Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service during the first quarter valued at approximately $100,176,000. Finally, Interval Partners LP bought a new position in United Parcel Service in the first quarter worth approximately $90,099,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UPS. Oppenheimer cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. TD Cowen started coverage on United Parcel Service in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $144.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of 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. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.24.

Insider Activity

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $128.61 per share, for a total transaction of $643,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $663,627.60. This represents a 3,100.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $132.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $113.80 billion, a PE ratio of 21.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.99. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.12 and a 52-week high of $163.82. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $129.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.20). United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The firm had revenue of $21.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.54 EPS. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.42 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 106.36%.

United Parcel Service Company 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.