Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Purchases 3,890 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 2.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 138,778 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,890 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $18,992,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Security National Bank bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Centerpoint Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 291.7% in the 2nd quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 235 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on UPS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Bank of America reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Stephens reduced their price target on United Parcel Service from $168.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $157.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $149.68.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $132.11 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $130.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $139.50. The stock has a market cap of $113.16 billion, a PE ratio of 19.15, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.99. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.12 and a fifty-two week high of $163.82. 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 (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.20). United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.27% and a net margin of 5.87%. The company had revenue of $21.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.54 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Investors 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 4.94%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 94.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson acquired 5,000 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $128.61 per share, with a total value of $643,050.00. Following the completion of 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by 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.