Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Grows Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. $UPS

Key Points

• Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. by 4.6%, owning a total of 592,031 shares valued at $65.1 million.
• Insiders, including CEO Carol B. Tome, recently bought significant amounts of UPS stock, with the CEO acquiring 11,682 shares worth approximately $1 million.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on UPS, with one strong buy, eleven buy, and fifteen hold ratings, and a consensus price target of approximately $112.81.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 4.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 592,031 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 26,079 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned 0.07% of United Parcel Service worth $65,117,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.5% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,136,226 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $7,274,323,000 after buying an additional 999,832 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,045,472 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,754,751,000 after acquiring an additional 1,780,807 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 124.0% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,011,107 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $991,132,000 after acquiring an additional 4,988,044 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,415,523 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $815,633,000 after acquiring an additional 23,918 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 1,056.6% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,336,175 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $476,936,000 after purchasing an additional 3,961,255 shares during the last quarter. 60.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director William R. Johnson bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The shares were bought at an average price of $86.50 per share, with a total value of $432,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 10,160 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $878,840. This trade represents a 96.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Carol B. Tome purchased 11,682 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was purchased 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 owned 24,718 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,117,591.06. This represents a 89.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have bought 17,182 shares of company stock worth $1,477,382. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. HSBC cut United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $140.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of United Parcel Service from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $110.00 to $107.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Vertical Research reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $103.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Argus dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $112.81.

United Parcel Service Stock Down 0.3%

UPS stock opened at $87.48 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The company's 50-day moving average price is $95.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $101.57. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $84.28 and a 52 week high of $145.01. The company has a market cap of $74.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.12.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.56 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $21.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $20.90 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.34% and a return on equity of 39.61%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.79 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.5%. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is currently 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.

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