Wealth Group Ltd Lowers Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Wealth Group Ltd cut its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,199 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 51 shares during the period. Wealth Group Ltd’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $273,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 265.7% during the third quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 128 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on UNP. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $262.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $252.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $260.30.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded up $1.04 on Wednesday, reaching $231.58. The company had a trading volume of 2,062,846 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,557,169. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $234.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $238.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.77. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $218.55 and a 52-week high of $258.66. The firm has a market cap of $140.40 billion, a PE ratio of 21.27, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.78 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.51 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.22%.

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.