Walker Financial Services Inc. Grows Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Walker Financial Services Inc. increased its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,146 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 67 shares during the quarter. United Parcel Service makes up about 0.4% of Walker Financial Services Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Walker Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $389,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Symmetry Partners LLC grew its holdings in United Parcel Service by 16.1% during the 2nd quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC now owns 8,947 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,604,000 after buying an additional 1,244 shares in the last quarter. Journey Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 7.8% during the 1st quarter. Journey Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,990 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $386,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $666,000. DnB Asset Management AS boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 173,857 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $33,727,000 after acquiring an additional 1,024 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 12,634 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,451,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. 58.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other news, insider Nando Cesarone sold 22,825 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.70, for a total transaction of $3,919,052.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1 shares in the company, valued at $171.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $160.49 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $175.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $178.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.87 and a twelve month high of $197.80. The company has a market cap of $137.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.09.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 8th. The transportation company reported $2.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.05. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 51.28% and a net margin of 10.41%. The firm had revenue of $22.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.29 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 9.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 14th were issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 11th. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.04%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on UPS shares. Barclays increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 8th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. UBS Group downgraded United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $198.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. Credit Suisse Group lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $204.00 to $194.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $195.00 to $184.00 in a research report on Monday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $186.89.

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 letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States.