B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Sells 16,981 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG cut its stake in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 26.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 47,060 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 16,981 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $5,934,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $8,213,699,000 after acquiring an additional 370,705 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 29,597,425 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,035,313,000 after acquiring an additional 613,409 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% during 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 purchasing an additional 1,337,058 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,289,624 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,080,170,000 after buying an additional 373,202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in United Parcel Service by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 10,040,863 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,272,600,000 after buying an additional 1,277,328 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

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United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of UPS traded up $0.90 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $110.16. 4,509,181 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,670,282. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $107.89 and a twelve month high of $154.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market cap of $94.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $117.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $126.15.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.47 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $1.64 dividend. This is a boost from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.95%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service's payout ratio is 97.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UPS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $133.00 to $129.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Raymond James decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $155.00 to $145.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on United Parcel Service from $128.00 to $120.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a "hold" rating and a $119.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $135.83.

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.