Beacon Financial Advisory LLC Increases Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Beacon Financial Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 20.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,319 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 2,248 shares during the quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,344,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in UPS. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 525.0% in the 1st quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 250 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 68.9% in the 1st quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 282 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UPS. Vertical Research reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $103.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $124.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $96.00 price objective (down from $125.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.16.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $86.50 per share, for a total transaction of $432,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $878,840. The trade was a 96.90% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Christiana Smith Shi acquired 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $88.17 per share, for a total transaction of $44,085.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,085. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought 17,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,477,382 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

United Parcel Service stock opened at $86.79 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.00 and a 12-month high of $145.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $86.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $95.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.32.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01). United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.61% and a net margin of 6.34%.The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.79 earnings per share. United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 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, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.62%.

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.