Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Decreases Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky cut its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 5.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 59,198 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 3,220 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $8,799,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UPS. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 209,741 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $31,174,000 after acquiring an additional 7,358 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.7% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 58,560 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $8,704,000 after buying an additional 25,600 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 359.7% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 310,451 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $46,142,000 after buying an additional 242,915 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 94,365 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $14,026,000 after buying an additional 4,825 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter valued at about $42,075,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were purchased 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 owns 5,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE:UPS traded down $2.52 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $128.06. 5,098,995 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,758,688. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $124.80 and a 52-week high of $184.56. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $136.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $144.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The company has a market cap of $109.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.98.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.20). The company had revenue of $21.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.54 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $154.95.

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.