United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Bought by Columbia Asset Management

Columbia Asset Management increased its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 29.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 39,655 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,960 shares during the period. Columbia Asset Management’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $5,427,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwest Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Security National Bank purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Parcel Service during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 869.6% during the first quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 223 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $128.61 per share, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on UPS. Stephens dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Bank of America dropped 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. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Baird R W raised shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.20.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 1.2 %

United Parcel Service stock opened at $127.40 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.25. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $123.12 and a one year high of $164.25. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $131.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $109.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.54 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.12%. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 94.49%.

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.