Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Cuts Stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lessened its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 378,961 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,743 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $51,861,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,218,714 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $10,568,798,000 after buying an additional 178,394 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 87.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,152,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,854,180,000 after acquiring an additional 8,475,698 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in United Parcel Service by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 6,671,306 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $991,556,000 after acquiring an additional 406,248 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,490,712 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $888,254,000 after acquiring an additional 20,426 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 10.5% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,144,372 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $567,157,000 after purchasing an additional 393,434 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on United Parcel Service from $169.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Susquehanna decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $160.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $159.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of United Parcel Service from $170.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $156.00 to $134.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $149.68.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Parcel Service news, Director William R. Johnson purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $128.61 per share, with a total value of $643,050.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 5,160 shares in the company, valued at $663,627.60. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE UPS opened at $128.60 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.12 and a 12 month high of $163.82. The stock has a market cap of $110.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.64, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.99. The company’s 50 day moving average is $130.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.18.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.99 by ($0.20). The firm had revenue of $21.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.17 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 35.27%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.54 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.43 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 19th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.07%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 19th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.49%.

United Parcel Service 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.