United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS Shares Bought by JT Stratford LLC

JT Stratford LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 449.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 11,141 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,113 shares during the period. JT Stratford LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $931,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 63.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,529,000 after buying an additional 4,723 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the second quarter valued at $277,000. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the second quarter valued at about $848,000. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the second quarter worth about $691,000. Finally, Crestwood Advisors Group LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the second quarter worth about $269,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 25,014 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.15, for a total value of $2,655,236.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UPS. Citigroup reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Evercore lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $94.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. HSBC raised shares of United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $112.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $113.67.

United Parcel Service Trading Down 5.9%

UPS opened at $103.96 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.08. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $110.05 and its 200-day moving average is $97.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $82.00 and a 52-week high of $123.70.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The transportation company reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.18. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 38.30%. The firm had revenue of $24.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.75 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 100.00%.

United Parcel Service Profile

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.