Short Interest in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Rises By 603.2%

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 15,400,000 shares, anincreaseof603.2% from the June 30th total of 2,190,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 5,320,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days. Based on an average daily volume of 5,320,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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A number of brokerages have recently commented on UPS. Daiwa America cut their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $103.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Raymond James Financial reduced their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Galvan Research lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $124.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 30th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res lowered United Parcel Service from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $112.81.

View Our Latest Stock Report on UPS

United Parcel Service Trading Down 1.9%

• UPS Is Outpacing the Market: A Green Light for Investors?

Shares of NYSE:UPS opened at $84.54 on Friday. United Parcel Service has a 12-month low of $84.28 and a 12-month high of $145.01. The business has a 50 day moving average of $99.32 and a 200-day moving average of $106.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The stock has a market cap of $71.59 billion, a PE ratio of 12.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.12.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released 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). The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.79 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

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The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th were given a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 97.62%.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In other news, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $86.50 per share, for a total transaction of $432,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 10,160 shares in the company, valued at approximately $878,840. This trade represents a 96.90% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome acquired 11,682 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $85.67 per share, with a total value of $1,000,796.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 24,718 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,117,591.06. This trade represents a 89.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Parcel Service

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Oarsman Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. now owns 10,328 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,043,000 after purchasing an additional 829 shares during the period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 11.0% in the second quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 2,804 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $283,000 after buying an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Motco boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.8% in the second quarter. Motco now owns 26,493 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,674,000 after buying an additional 479 shares during the period. Winebrenner Capital Management LLC grew its position in United Parcel Service by 8.4% during the second quarter. Winebrenner Capital Management LLC now owns 2,135 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $216,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mendel Money Management grew its position in United Parcel Service by 82.0% during the second quarter. Mendel Money Management now owns 11,243 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,135,000 after buying an additional 5,065 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company's stock.

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.

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