ESG Planning DBA Harper Investing Cuts Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

ESG Planning DBA Harper Investing reduced its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 8.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,309 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 217 shares during the quarter. ESG Planning DBA Harper Investing’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $526,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNP. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,927,377,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,035,905,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its position in Union Pacific by 74.7% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,146,990 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $489,600,000 after acquiring an additional 918,248 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 9.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,795,993,000 after purchasing an additional 625,492 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 33,228.4% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 504,258 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $114,991,000 after purchasing an additional 502,745 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on UNP shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup upped their target price on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Benchmark raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.76.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP opened at $232.06 on Friday. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $218.55 and a twelve month high of $258.07. The stock has a market cap of $140.23 billion, a PE ratio of 20.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s 50 day moving average is $243.11 and its 200-day moving average is $239.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 quarter last year, the firm posted $2.71 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share 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 paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 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.