Maple Capital Management Inc. Sells 124 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Maple Capital Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,750 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 124 shares during the quarter. Maple Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $855,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Howard Capital Management Group LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 16.4% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 2,860 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $705,000 after acquiring an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 25.2% in the third quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,050 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $473,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares during the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.7% in the third quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 9,494 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,191,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 18.7% during the third quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 2,379 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $586,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 6.2% during the third quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,391 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $343,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $246.94 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $149.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $218.55 and a 52-week high of $258.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $239.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $240.93.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (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 period last year, the company earned $2.71 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.17%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on UNP. Citigroup raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $285.00 price target (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $261.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

About Union Pacific

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.