HighPoint Advisor Group LLC Sells 1,330 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 6.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,330 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,330 shares during the period. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $4,759,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,686,387 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,752,804,000 after buying an additional 363,937 shares in the last quarter. Family Legacy Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Family Legacy Inc. now owns 8,736 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,025,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 140,390 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $32,015,000 after acquiring an additional 6,864 shares during the period. Rodgers Brothers Inc. lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Rodgers Brothers Inc. now owns 39,557 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $9,021,000 after buying an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Financial LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 17,154 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,912,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on UNP shares. Benchmark raised their target price 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. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $285.00 price objective (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.76.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of UNP stock opened at $232.06 on Monday. 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 50 day moving average of $243.11 and a 200 day moving average of $239.41. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $218.55 and a twelve month high of $258.07. The stock has a market cap of $140.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 period in the previous year, the business earned $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.