Hills Bank & Trust Co Cuts Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Hills Bank & Trust Co cut its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,616 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 122 shares during the period. Hills Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,509,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 217,780 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,813,686 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,146,451,000 after acquiring an additional 182,620 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 9.3% in the 3rd 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. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,305,684 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,437,948,000 after purchasing an additional 20,099 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,020,107 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,237,356,000 after purchasing an additional 31,899 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $237.71 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $242.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $240.77. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The stock has a market cap 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 issued 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.71 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued 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 yield of 2.25%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started 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. Benchmark boosted their price objective 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. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. 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. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $263.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Union Pacific 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.