Handelsbanken Fonder AB Purchases 7,649 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 281,493 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,649 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $38,379,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Cullen Investment Group LTD. lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD. now owns 9,921 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,480,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,068 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $694,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,212 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $477,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division grew its position in United Parcel Service by 0.8% in the first quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 9,113 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,354,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 3,490 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $519,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $663,627.60. The trade was a 3,100.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE UPS traded up $0.53 on Friday, reaching $131.25. The company had a trading volume of 3,270,680 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,256,409. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $123.12 and a 52 week high of $163.82. The stock has a market cap of $112.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.99. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $128.89 and its 200-day moving average is $137.76.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.20). The firm had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 35.27%. The business’s revenue was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.54 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on UPS shares. Stephens reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $145.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 24th. BMO Capital Markets reduced 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 note on Wednesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.68.

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.