Highland Capital Management LLC Grows Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Highland Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 108.4% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 42,181 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,940 shares during the quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $4,258,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.5% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,136,226 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $7,274,323,000 after buying an additional 999,832 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 7.7% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,045,472 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,754,751,000 after buying an additional 1,780,807 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 124.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,011,107 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $991,132,000 after buying an additional 4,988,044 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,415,523 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $815,633,000 after purchasing an additional 23,918 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 3.8% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 4,719,145 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $519,059,000 after purchasing an additional 171,303 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the topic of several research reports. BNP Paribas raised United Parcel Service to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Galvan Research dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $107.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $110.16.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director Christiana Smith Shi bought 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $88.17 per share, with a total value of $44,085.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,085. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 purchase, the director directly owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at $878,840. This trade represents a 96.90% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 17,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,477,382. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UPS opened at $86.79 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $86.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $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. The stock has a market cap of $73.56 billion, a PE ratio of 12.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.10. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.00 and a 1 year high of $145.01.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.61% and a net margin of 6.34%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.79 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.62%.

United Parcel Service Company 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.