Montag A & Associates Inc. Increases Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Montag A & Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 0.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,727 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,605,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UPS. Northwest Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Security National Bank purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 869.6% in the first quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 223 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $128.61 per share, with a total value of $643,050.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on UPS shares. Barclays lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $120.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 22nd. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $144.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.20.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS opened at $128.55 on Monday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.12 and a twelve month high of $172.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $110.11 billion, a PE ratio of 18.63, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $132.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $141.28.

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

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.07%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 94.49%.

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.