Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Cozad Asset Management Inc.

Cozad Asset Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 14.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,448 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 950 shares during the period. Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,338,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brookstone Capital Management boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 14.9% in the third quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 15,498 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,260,000 after buying an additional 2,007 shares during the period. Vicus Capital boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 141.4% in the third quarter. Vicus Capital now owns 2,672 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $544,000 after buying an additional 1,565 shares during the period. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 48.6% in the third quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 309 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the third quarter worth about $296,000. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 10.5% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 63,947 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $13,022,000 after acquiring an additional 6,071 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on UNP. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $280.00 price objective (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Benchmark upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.78.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $237.13 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $190.71 and a 1 year high of $258.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $243.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $235.77. The firm has a market cap of $144.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.67 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.62%.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Union Pacific Company Profile

Union Pacific Corporation, through its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad Company, operates in the railroad business in the United States. The company offers transportation services for grain and grain products, fertilizers, food and refrigerated products, and coal and renewables to grain processors, animal feeders, ethanol producers, renewable biofuel producers, and other agricultural users; and construction products, industrial chemicals, plastics, forest products, specialized products, metals and ores, petroleum, liquid petroleum gases, soda ash, and sand, as well as finished automobiles, automotive parts, and merchandise in intermodal containers.