United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Acquired by Verity & Verity LLC

Verity & Verity LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 17.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 119,480 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 17,783 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service accounts for 1.9% of Verity & Verity LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Verity & Verity LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $16,351,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in United Parcel Service by 67.4% during the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 745 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $102,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $331,000. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,440,000. Cim LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cim LLC now owns 11,032 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,405,000 after purchasing an additional 1,140 shares during the period. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in United Parcel Service in the second quarter valued at approximately $20,309,000. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $151.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Baird R W raised United Parcel Service to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Oppenheimer decreased 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. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $120.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. One 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $149.68.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of UPS traded down $0.25 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $133.02. 2,257,374 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,264,784. The company has a market capitalization of $113.81 billion, a PE ratio of 19.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.99. 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $128.69 and a 200 day moving average of $138.10. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.12 and a 1-year high of $163.82.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). 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%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.54 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 4.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of United Parcel Service 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 in the company, valued at $663,627.60. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.