Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Has $36.13 Million Position in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lessened its holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 26.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 286,492 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 100,631 shares during the quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $36,127,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in United Parcel Service by 6.1% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,337,058 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 70,388 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $8,876,000 after purchasing an additional 2,315 shares during the period. Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. grew its position in United Parcel Service by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. now owns 21,868 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,758,000 after purchasing an additional 950 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in United Parcel Service by 22.9% in the 4th quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,528 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $445,000 after buying an additional 657 shares during the period. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 2,768 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $350,000 after buying an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UPS. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wolfe Research upgraded United Parcel Service from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $147.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $133.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.73.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of UPS opened at $119.27 on Tuesday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 52 week low of $109.40 and a 52 week high of $158.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $122.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $128.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.17.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.23. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.13% and a net margin of 6.35%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.47 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.64 per share. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.50%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 97.04%.

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.