Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 217,889 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 5,969 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $49,687,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 26.8% during the fourth quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 213 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Pflug Koory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 8,569 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,954,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,409 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 1,672 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $381,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Liberty Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Liberty Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,697 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $387,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $237.71 on Friday. 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 52 week low of $218.55 and a 52 week high of $258.07. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $242.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $240.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $143.65 billion, a PE ratio of 21.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm earned $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 48.33%.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.