Mechanics Bank Trust Department Trims Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Mechanics Bank Trust Department decreased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,669 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 235 shares during the period. Mechanics Bank Trust Department’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,749,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 272.3% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $379,689,000 after acquiring an additional 1,227,318 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 19,878.6% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 896,040 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $220,856,000 after buying an additional 891,555 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,795,993,000 after buying an additional 625,492 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2,025.4% in the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $134,636,000 after buying an additional 520,536 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 170.9% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 736,246 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $181,470,000 after purchasing an additional 464,477 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. TD Cowen cut their target price on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $252.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.35.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE:UNP opened at $233.99 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $233.83 and a 200 day moving average of $238.95. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $218.55 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $141.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.78 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.51 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.22%.

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.