Obermeyer Wood Investment Counsel Lllp Decreases Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Obermeyer Wood Investment Counsel Lllp lowered its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 41.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 111,941 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 78,287 shares during the period. Union Pacific accounts for approximately 1.9% of Obermeyer Wood Investment Counsel Lllp’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Obermeyer Wood Investment Counsel Lllp’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $27,495,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Personal CFO Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 39.3% in the 3rd quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,407 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 46.9% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 87,905 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $21,596,000 after acquiring an additional 28,052 shares during the period. Procyon Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 48.3% during the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 18,512 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,547,000 after acquiring an additional 6,031 shares during the period. Advisor Resource Council purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth $606,000. Finally, Factory Mutual Insurance Co. raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Factory Mutual Insurance Co. now owns 184,700 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $45,366,000 after acquiring an additional 19,600 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP traded up $0.58 during trading on Thursday, reaching $229.81. The company had a trading volume of 1,570,166 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,303,281. The firm has a market capitalization of $140.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.07. 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’s fifty day moving average price is $246.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $233.55. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $190.37 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on UNP shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Benchmark boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $228.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.48.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.