Baird Financial Group Inc. Sells 145,663 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Baird Financial Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 19.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 610,725 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 145,663 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of United Parcel Service worth $61,647,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Andra AP fonden boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 95.9% during the 2nd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 332,983 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $33,611,000 after acquiring an additional 163,000 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 14.6% in the second quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 94,361 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,525,000 after purchasing an additional 12,035 shares during the last quarter. Equity Investment Corp lifted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.8% during the second quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 1,130,550 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $114,118,000 after purchasing an additional 162,364 shares in the last quarter. Cowa LLC boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 329.2% during the second quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 8,785 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $887,000 after purchasing an additional 6,738 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 182,836 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $18,455,000 after purchasing an additional 3,516 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $109.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Wall Street Zen raised United Parcel Service from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on United Parcel Service from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Citigroup upped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $112.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on United Parcel Service from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $110.00.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS opened at $94.71 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.00 and a 1 year high of $136.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $90.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $92.65. The firm has a market cap of $80.35 billion, a PE ratio of 14.64, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.11.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The transportation company reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.43. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 40.07% and a net margin of 6.15%.The company had revenue of $21.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.76 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.9%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 101.39%.

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.