Coho Partners Ltd. Sells 104,590 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Coho Partners cut its stake in United Parcel Service by 42.7%, selling 104,590 shares and leaving 140,383 shares worth $11.73 million (about 1.5% of Coho's holdings and its 28th-largest position).
• Several other institutions increased UPS positions (e.g., Andra AP fonden, Equity Investment Corp), and overall institutional ownership stands at 60.26%.
• UPS recently beat EPS estimates ($1.74 vs. $1.31) despite revenue falling 3.7% year-over-year; it pays a $6.56 annualized dividend (yield ~6.5%, payout ratio 101.39%), and analysts' consensus rating is "Hold" with an average target of $110.09.

Coho Partners Ltd. lowered its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 42.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 140,383 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 104,590 shares during the period. United Parcel Service accounts for about 1.5% of Coho Partners Ltd.'s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Coho Partners Ltd.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $11,726,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Andra AP fonden grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 95.9% in the second quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 332,983 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $33,611,000 after purchasing an additional 163,000 shares during the last quarter. BLVD Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,479,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 14.6% in the 2nd quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 94,361 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $9,525,000 after buying an additional 12,035 shares during the period. Equity Investment Corp grew its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 16.8% in the 2nd quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 1,130,550 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $114,118,000 after buying an additional 162,364 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cowa LLC increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 329.2% during the second quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 8,785 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $887,000 after buying an additional 6,738 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UPS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $83.00 to $81.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Stephens raised shares of United Parcel Service to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $96.00 price target (down previously from $125.00) on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $112.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $110.09.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of United Parcel Service stock opened at $100.67 on Tuesday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $94.31 and a 200 day moving average of $92.79. The firm has a market cap of $85.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.56, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.11. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.00 and a 1 year high of $136.99.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The transportation company reported $1.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.43. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.15% and a return on equity of 40.07%. The business had revenue of $21.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.76 earnings per share. United Parcel Service's quarterly revenue was down 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Investors 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 6.5%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is presently 101.39%.

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.

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