RKL Wealth Management LLC Decreases Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

RKL Wealth Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 8.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 18,361 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,684 shares during the quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $4,187,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 0.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,788,337 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $6,109,829,000 after purchasing an additional 217,780 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,813,686 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,146,451,000 after acquiring an additional 182,620 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 9.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,795,993,000 after acquiring an additional 625,492 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,305,684 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,437,948,000 after acquiring an additional 20,099 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,020,107 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,237,356,000 after acquiring an additional 31,899 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on UNP shares. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Friday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the president now owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The shares were 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.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.9 %

NYSE:UNP opened at $249.84 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $241.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $241.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $150.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.53, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $218.55 and a 1 year high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

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.