Whittier Trust Co. Cuts Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Whittier Trust Co. decreased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 13.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 20,348 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 3,111 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,054,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 63.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,126 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,529,000 after buying an additional 4,723 shares during the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 61.0% in the 1st quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 4,566 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $502,000 after buying an additional 1,730 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 300,229 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $33,022,000 after buying an additional 18,670 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 19,024 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,092,000 after buying an additional 563 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Silver Lake Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter worth approximately $220,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS opened at $86.93 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.32. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $85.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $93.26. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.00 and a 1 year high of $145.01. The stock has a market cap of $73.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.10.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01). United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.79 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 97.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on UPS shares. BNP Paribas raised shares of United Parcel Service to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $103.00 to $97.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $109.31.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $86.50 per share, for a total transaction of $432,500.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $878,840. This trade represents a 96.90% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Christiana Smith Shi bought 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $88.17 per share, with a total value of $44,085.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,085. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought a total of 17,182 shares of company stock worth $1,477,382 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Company 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.