Alpha Cubed Investments LLC Sells 2,209 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Alpha Cubed Investments LLC trimmed its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 50,494 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 2,209 shares during the quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $12,402,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $737,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,394 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Sunburst Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC now owns 2,393 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $588,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Mission Wealth Management LP increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 7,838 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,925,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Sunflower Bank N.A. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 5,573 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,369,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.6 %

NYSE UNP traded down $3.82 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $237.13. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,737,004 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,318,918. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $190.71 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The company has a market capitalization of $144.68 billion, a PE ratio of 22.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $244.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $235.56.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.67 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were 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 approximately $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on UNP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased 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. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Union Pacific from $252.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.78.

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.