United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Stake Lessened by Gateway Investment Advisers LLC

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC trimmed its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 6.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 249,918 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 17,052 shares during the quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $34,074,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. United Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,593,000. Optimist Retirement Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $358,000. Burford Brothers Inc. acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the fourth quarter worth about $513,000. Taylor Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $809,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $81,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $128.61 per share, for a total transaction of $643,050.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 5,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $663,627.60. This trade represents a 3,100.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Susquehanna cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Oppenheimer reduced 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 note on Wednesday, July 24th. Baird R W upgraded shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.24.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.3 %

UPS stock traded up $1.76 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $134.60. The company had a trading volume of 2,429,780 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,209,721. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $123.12 and a 1 year high of $163.82. The company has a 50 day moving average of $129.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.08. The company has a market capitalization of $115.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.51, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.54 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.84%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 94.49%.

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.