Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by West Paces Advisors Inc.

West Paces Advisors Inc. lowered its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 8.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,736 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 150 shares during the quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $427,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 7,884 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,606,000 after purchasing an additional 1,676 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the third quarter worth $252,000. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors grew its position in Union Pacific by 37.2% during the third quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 1,460 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $297,000 after buying an additional 396 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 3.3% in the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 3,847 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $783,000 after buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Operose Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 373.9% in the third quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 564 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $115,000 after acquiring an additional 445 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.2 %

Union Pacific stock traded down $0.45 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $223.61. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,680,489 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,307,720. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $233.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.52. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $136.43 billion, a PE ratio of 21.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $199.33 and a 1 year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The company’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.67 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.25 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Benchmark lifted their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Eight 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.92.

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.