Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 358 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Securian Asset Management Inc. trimmed its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 0.9% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 38,301 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 358 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $3,866,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 1.5% in 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 acquiring an additional 999,832 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 7.7% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,780,807 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 124.0% in 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 acquiring an additional 4,988,044 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew 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 valued at $815,633,000 after acquiring an additional 23,918 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew 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 valued at $519,059,000 after acquiring an additional 171,303 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Carol B. Tome bought 11,682 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $85.67 per share, with a total value of $1,000,796.94. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 24,718 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,117,591.06. This represents a 89.61% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was bought 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $878,840. This trade represents a 96.90% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought 17,182 shares of company stock valued at $1,477,382 over the last 90 days. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of UPS opened at $88.07 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.00 and a 12-month high of $145.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.64 billion, a PE ratio of 13.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.10. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $85.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.30.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.01). United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.90 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.79 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 97.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on UPS. Galvan Research decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 30th. Vertical Research restated a “hold” rating and set a $103.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $114.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 13th. Wolfe Research decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $113.00 to $112.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut United Parcel Service from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a 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 assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $109.31.

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.