Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Has $1.38 Million Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 13,712 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 329 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,384,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Founders Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Founders Capital Management LLC now owns 111,405 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,245,000 after acquiring an additional 8,579 shares during the last quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the first quarter valued at approximately $620,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service during the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Capital CS Group LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 3.6% during the second quarter. Capital CS Group LLC now owns 235,090 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $23,730,000 after purchasing an additional 8,070 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 39.9% during the second quarter. CX Institutional now owns 60,165 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,073,000 after purchasing an additional 17,152 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Christiana Smith Shi bought 500 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $88.17 per share, for a total transaction of $44,085.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,085. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The shares were bought at an average price of $86.50 per share, for a total transaction of $432,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 10,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $878,840. This represents a 96.90% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have acquired 17,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,477,382. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.4%

NYSE UPS opened at $86.79 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $86.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $95.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The company has a market capitalization of $73.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.92, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.10. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.00 and a 1-year high of $145.01.

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

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is presently 97.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on UPS shares. Vertical Research reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $103.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Galvan Research lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $88.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $107.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.16.

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.