Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 71.8% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 14,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,073 shares during the period. United Parcel Service makes up about 1.9% of Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,988,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,218,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $10,568,798,000 after purchasing an additional 178,394 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 87.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,152,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,854,180,000 after acquiring an additional 8,475,698 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.5% in the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 6,671,306 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $991,556,000 after purchasing an additional 406,248 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,490,712 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $888,254,000 after acquiring an additional 20,426 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 10.5% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,144,372 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $567,157,000 after buying an additional 393,434 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.1 %

UPS stock opened at $132.11 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.12 and a twelve month high of $163.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $113.16 billion, a PE ratio of 19.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.99. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $130.45 and its 200-day moving average is $139.50.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $21.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.54 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.94%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is currently 94.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Baird R W raised shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. They set a “hold” rating and a $144.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $149.68.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 5,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $663,627.60. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.