Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Has $84.97 Million Holdings in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lowered its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS - Free Report) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 673,800 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 16,700 shares during the quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned about 0.08% of United Parcel Service worth $84,966,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of UPS. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,136,394 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $8,213,699,000 after purchasing an additional 370,705 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position 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 worth $2,933,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337,058 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,704,334 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,979,695,000 after acquiring an additional 414,710 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,979,909 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,384,567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,484,452 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its stake in United Parcel Service by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 10,895,828 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,373,964,000 after purchasing an additional 268,278 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UPS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on United Parcel Service from $100.00 to $82.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective 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. StockNews.com raised United Parcel Service from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 18th. Robert W. Baird downgraded United Parcel Service from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $160.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Baird R W downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Parcel Service presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $126.41.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

NYSE:UPS traded down $0.67 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $97.24. 2,576,256 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,833,585. 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 company has a market capitalization of $83.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.10. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $108.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $121.40. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.55 and a 12 month high of $153.42.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 6.35% and a return on equity of 39.13%. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from United Parcel Service's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.75%. United Parcel Service's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.