Johnson Financial Group Inc. Reduces Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Johnson Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 88.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,017 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 7,992 shares during the quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $128,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth $1,075,393,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Parcel Service in the 4th quarter worth $393,680,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,384,567,000 after acquiring an additional 1,484,452 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of 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 worth $397,329,000 after acquiring an additional 1,378,136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 6.1% during the 4th 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 period. 60.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Parcel Service Stock Performance

Shares of UPS stock traded down $1.02 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $96.89. The stock had a trading volume of 8,629,245 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,857,344. 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 fifty-two week low of $90.55 and a fifty-two week high of $153.42. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $108.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $121.14. The firm has a market cap of $82.76 billion, a PE ratio of 14.33, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 period in the previous year, the business earned $2.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate 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 disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $6.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.77%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on UPS shares. Barclays lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 31st. Evercore ISI increased their price target on United Parcel Service from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. StockNews.com cut United Parcel Service from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $166.00 to $147.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on United Parcel Service from $149.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $126.41.

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.