Madison Asset Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Madison Asset Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 84.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,522 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 60,758 shares during the quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,267,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UPS. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,075,393,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,384,567,000 after buying an additional 1,484,452 shares in the last quarter. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth approximately $145,846,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 19.7% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,463,930 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $815,102,000 after purchasing an additional 1,064,293 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 316.7% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,122,886 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $141,581,000 after acquiring an additional 853,388 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company's stock.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS traded up $1.06 during trading on Friday, hitting $103.59. 5,471,470 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,516,731. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $100.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.36. The company has a market cap of $87.72 billion, a PE ratio of 15.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12-month low of $90.55 and a 12-month high of $145.01.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.11. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 40.15% and a net margin of 6.44%. The firm had revenue of $21.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.43 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 19th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.33%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UPS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Raymond James Financial decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Wolfe Research cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $113.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on United Parcel Service from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. 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 note on Thursday, July 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $124.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $118.22.

United Parcel Service 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.