Associated Banc Corp Sells 15,848 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Associated Banc Corp reduced its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 50.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 15,675 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 15,848 shares during the period. Associated Banc Corp’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,542,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 68,496,420 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,794,160,000 after acquiring an additional 1,218,432 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 32,092,627 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,183,268,000 after purchasing an additional 1,029,377 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 27,142,759 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,692,290,000 after purchasing an additional 856,125 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,154,091 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,703,291,000 after purchasing an additional 240,253 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 72.9% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,818,314 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,370,639,000 after purchasing an additional 5,826,824 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting United Parcel Service

Here are the key news stories impacting United Parcel Service this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target on UPS to $132 and reiterated a buy rating, while Stephens upgraded the stock to strong-buy, signaling Wall Street sees more upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: UPS was added to the Russell 1000 Value Defensive and Russell 1000 Defensive indexes, which can support demand from index-focused investors and highlight the stock’s defensive appeal. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call option buying suggests traders are positioning for continued gains in UPS shares.
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles pointed to UPS’s strong earnings-beat history and growing investor attention ahead of the next quarterly report, reinforcing expectations for another solid print. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: UPS is reshaping its network, likely as part of ongoing operational efficiency efforts, but the article did not indicate an immediate material financial impact. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: UPS and FedEx remaining top logistics companies by market cap is a reminder of the company’s scale, but this is more a sector ranking than a stock-moving catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Postal Service Inspector General flagged UPS’s air cargo contract with USPS, urging a re-evaluation over volume-guarantee risks and even possible termination if issues are not addressed, which adds uncertainty around parcel volumes and contract revenue. Article Title

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

UPS opened at $112.61 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $95.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $105.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $105.63. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.00 and a 1 year high of $122.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.21.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.99 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 35.95% and a net margin of 5.94%.United Parcel Service’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.49 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is 106.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $127.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $125.00 to $123.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Stephens upgraded shares of United Parcel Service to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded United Parcel Service from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.10.

About United Parcel Service

United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) is a global package delivery and supply chain management company that provides a broad range of transportation, logistics and e-commerce services. Its core business centers on small-package delivery and last-mile distribution for business and individual customers, supported by a network of ground transportation, air cargo operations (UPS Airlines) and sorting facilities. In addition to parcel delivery, UPS offers freight transportation, contract logistics, warehousing, customs brokerage and reverse-logistics solutions designed to support domestic and international commerce.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when it began as a small messenger service in the United States and later evolved into the United Parcel Service.