Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. Reduces Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,214 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 51 shares during the quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $277,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Palogic Value Management L.P. boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. now owns 2,823 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $644,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 26.8% during the 4th quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 213 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Pflug Koory LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 8,569 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,954,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,409 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Mystic Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,309 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $527,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup upped their price target on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $261.95.

Union Pacific Trading Down 5.0 %

NYSE UNP opened at $212.86 on Friday. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $212.55 and a 52 week high of $258.07. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $242.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $238.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $127.57 billion, a PE ratio of 19.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.52%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The shares were 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 directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

About Union Pacific

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.