United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Stake Cut by Montag A & Associates Inc.

Montag A & Associates Inc. reduced its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 25.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,240 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 4,514 shares during the period. Montag A & Associates Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,082,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. MWA Asset Management acquired a new position in United Parcel Service in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,125,000. Chesapeake Wealth Management increased its position in United Parcel Service by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 7,886 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,229,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 387,381 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $60,908,000 after purchasing an additional 44,721 shares during the last quarter. CapWealth Advisors LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. CapWealth Advisors LLC now owns 58,184 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,148,000 after purchasing an additional 686 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Telos Capital Management Inc. increased its position in United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 74,337 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,587,000 after purchasing an additional 740 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock traded up $0.30 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $148.07. The stock had a trading volume of 2,509,562 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,149,974. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $149.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $150.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $133.68 and a one year high of $192.98. The firm has a market cap of $126.25 billion, a PE ratio of 21.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.05.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 37.42% and a net margin of 6.60%. United Parcel Service’s revenue was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.20 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.23 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.40%. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UPS has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on United Parcel Service from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Raymond James lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $175.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on United Parcel Service from $147.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $165.23.

About United Parcel Service

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.