Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Decreases Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,357 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 279 shares during the quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,693,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,218,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $10,568,798,000 after buying an additional 178,394 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 8,475,698 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,607,055 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,510,517,000 after purchasing an additional 980,317 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its position in United Parcel Service by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 6,671,306 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $991,556,000 after purchasing an additional 406,248 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,490,712 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $888,254,000 after buying an additional 20,426 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock opened at $128.88 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $110.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.99. 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 one year low of $123.12 and a one year high of $163.82. The company’s 50-day moving average is $130.75 and its 200 day moving average is $139.74.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 35.27%. The firm had revenue of $21.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.54 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 94.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen started coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $144.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $149.68.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred 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 acquisition, the director now owns 5,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $663,627.60. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.