Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS)

United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) was the target of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Investors bought 76,402 call options on the stock. Thisisanincreaseof119% compared to the typical daily volume of 34,862 call options.

Insider Activity at United Parcel Service

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $86.50 per share, with a total value of $432,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 10,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $878,840. The trade was a 96.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome acquired 11,682 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was bought at an average price of $85.67 per share, with a total value of $1,000,796.94. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 24,718 shares in the company, valued at $2,117,591.06. The trade was 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 owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Parcel Service

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. PDT Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the second quarter valued at approximately $370,000. White Knight Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 17.9% during the second quarter. White Knight Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,647 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $469,000 after buying an additional 705 shares during the last quarter. Financial Advisors Network Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the second quarter valued at approximately $224,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the second quarter valued at approximately $511,000. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the second quarter valued at approximately $48,689,000. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $124.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $124.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Argus reduced their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $112.81.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $88.70 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $97.43 and its 200 day moving average is $103.36. United Parcel Service has a fifty-two week low of $84.28 and a fifty-two week high of $145.01. The company has a market capitalization of $75.11 billion, a PE ratio of 13.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.32.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its 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 return on equity of 39.61% and a net margin of 6.34%. The firm had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.90 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.79 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that United Parcel Service will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

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

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.