Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Advocate Group LLC

Advocate Group LLC reduced its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 34,382 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 250 shares during the period. Union Pacific makes up approximately 1.5% of Advocate Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Advocate Group LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $7,840,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 19,878.6% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 896,040 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $220,856,000 after acquiring an additional 891,555 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 625,492 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2,025.4% during the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $134,636,000 after purchasing an additional 520,536 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 170.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 736,246 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $181,470,000 after buying an additional 464,477 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 35.8% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,226,100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $279,600,000 after buying an additional 323,525 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $248.94 on Friday. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The company has a market cap of $150.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $234.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $239.40.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on UNP. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $285.00 target price (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.57.

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.