North Star Asset Management Inc. Sells 3,469 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

North Star Asset Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 22.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,896 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 3,469 shares during the period. North Star Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,500,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of UPS. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $1,075,393,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the fourth quarter worth about $393,680,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% in the fourth 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 during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 77.7% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,150,901 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $397,329,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378,136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,264,665 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,933,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,337,058 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on United Parcel Service from $126.00 to $114.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Robert W. Baird cut United Parcel Service from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wall Street Zen cut United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, HSBC cut United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $105.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $120.26.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of United Parcel Service stock traded up $1.32 during trading on Thursday, reaching $98.06. 4,583,919 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,133,720. The company has a market capitalization of $83.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $99.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.14. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.55 and a 52-week high of $148.15.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $21.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.25 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. The firm's revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.43 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a $1.64 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.69%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is currently 95.63%.

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.