Independent Financial Group LLC Takes $897,000 Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Independent Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 9,115 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $897,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Potomac Fund Management Inc. ADV now owns 11,324 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,123,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. now owns 7,876 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $781,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,670 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $562,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Webster Bank N. A. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 698 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Peoples Financial Services CORP. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Peoples Financial Services CORP. now owns 4,030 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $400,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings raised United Parcel Service from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Evercore lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $115.00 to $113.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Stephens upgraded United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $111.50.

More United Parcel Service News

Here are the key news stories impacting United Parcel Service this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein raised its price target on UPS to $133 from $130 and reiterated an outperform rating, signaling upside confidence ahead of earnings.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect UPS to have a chance to beat upcoming quarterly earnings expectations, supported by the right mix of improving per-package revenue and cost cuts.
• Positive Sentiment: Investor focus is centered on updated guidance, and any stronger-than-expected outlook could further support the shares after recent weakness.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes UPS has been moving alongside broader transportation-sector earnings expectations, with traders watching for confirmation in the Q2 report. United Parcel Service Inc. Cl B stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitors
• Negative Sentiment: Recent articles also point to lower shipping volumes and pricing pressure from fuel surcharges and competition, including Amazon’s expanding delivery network, which could weigh on margins. Fuel surcharges wallop FedEx, UPS shippers as Amazon looms

United Parcel Service Stock Up 2.8%

UPS opened at $116.32 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $107.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.36. The company has a market cap of $98.87 billion, a PE ratio of 18.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.00 and a 1 year high of $122.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.21.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.99 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.94% and a return on equity of 35.95%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.49 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.15%.

United Parcel Service Profile

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.