Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Cuts Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC reduced its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 37.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,445 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 12,827 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $2,704,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth $1,075,393,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the 4th quarter worth $393,680,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% during 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 position in United Parcel Service by 77.7% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,150,901 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $397,329,000 after buying an additional 1,378,136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $2,933,674,000 after buying an additional 1,337,058 shares during the period. 60.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UPS traded up $2.70 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $97.30. The company had a trading volume of 2,844,831 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,926,372. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market cap of $83.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.23. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.55 and a 52-week high of $153.42. The company's 50 day moving average price is $106.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $120.52.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.11. The business 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%. United Parcel Service's revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.43 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This is a boost from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.74%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio is 95.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UPS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. HSBC lowered shares of United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $105.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on United Parcel Service from $145.00 to $124.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $120.87.

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.