United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Bought by Stanley Laman Group Ltd.

Stanley Laman Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 25,916 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,237 shares during the quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,533,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.8% during the 1st quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,481 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $517,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares in the last quarter. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at $111,000. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 58.8% in the 1st quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 4,466 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $664,000 after purchasing an additional 1,654 shares in the last quarter. Corundum Group Inc. raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 73.7% during the 1st quarter. Corundum Group Inc. now owns 7,309 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,086,000 after buying an additional 3,102 shares during the period. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the first quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 45,672 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,788,000 after buying an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of the firm’s 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 acquisition, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The trade was a 3,100.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $131.33 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $130.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $136.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.12 and a 52 week high of $163.82. The firm has a market cap of $112.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its 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). United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The company had revenue of $21.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.54 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.96%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is currently 106.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UPS. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $144.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Bank of America lowered their price target on 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, 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 note on Wednesday, July 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.05.

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.