Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Position Trimmed by Stableford Capital II LLC

Stableford Capital II LLC reduced its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,880 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 69 shares during the period. Stableford Capital II LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $885,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its stake in Union Pacific by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 7,508 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,712,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares during the period. Concord Wealth Partners grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 13,682 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,120,000 after purchasing an additional 782 shares during the last quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Concord Asset Management LLC VA now owns 13,627 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,107,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares during the period. Everett Harris & Co. CA lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 21.4% in the 4th quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA now owns 64,472 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $14,702,000 after purchasing an additional 11,371 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Factory Mutual Insurance Co. boosted its position in Union Pacific by 25.2% during the 4th quarter. Factory Mutual Insurance Co. now owns 235,150 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $53,624,000 after purchasing an additional 47,300 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Benchmark increased their target price on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $277.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $263.30.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $247.85 on Friday. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $218.55 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $235.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $240.16. The stock has a market cap of $150.26 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 12.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 48.33%.

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.