Inspire Trust Co. N.A. Purchases 5,209 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Inspire Trust Co. N.A. grew its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 24,500 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 5,209 shares during the quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,340,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter valued at about $362,000. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in United Parcel Service in the second quarter worth approximately $270,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 12.9% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 7,109 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,057,000 after acquiring an additional 810 shares in the last quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. now owns 22,679 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,104,000 after purchasing an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 92,728 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $13,666,000 after purchasing an additional 2,117 shares in the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on UPS shares. TD Cowen assumed coverage on United Parcel Service in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. They set a "hold" rating and a $144.00 target price on the stock. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Monday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $165.00 to $162.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Argus raised shares of United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $151.29.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of UPS traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $128.76. The stock had a trading volume of 3,988,440 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,187,872. The company has a market capitalization of $109.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.98. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $132.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $132.85. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.12 and a 12 month high of $163.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.13. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.38% and a net margin of 6.25%. The company had revenue of $22.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $22.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.48 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, December 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.06%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is presently 98.49%.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 7,325 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.57, for a total transaction of $1,015,025.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,249,229.86. This represents a 13.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.