Everett Harris & Co. CA Reduces Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Everett Harris & Co. CA lowered its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 8.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 47,315 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 4,648 shares during the quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $11,621,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 90,390.6% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,697,556 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,836,353,000 after purchasing an additional 13,682,419 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,983,932 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,860,303,000 after buying an additional 883,963 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,261,449 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,478,649,000 after acquiring an additional 19,145 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Union Pacific by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,803,796 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,385,457,000 after acquiring an additional 285,988 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $1,276,498,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Union Pacific from $228.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $239.00 to $237.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $249.67.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Union Pacific stock traded up $3.94 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $244.63. 2,142,852 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,367,813. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $149.17 billion, a PE ratio of 23.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.07. The business’s 50-day moving average is $247.48 and its 200-day moving average is $230.40. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $190.37 and a 12-month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 46.87% and a net margin of 26.45%. The company had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.67 EPS. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 49.71%.

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.