Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Peterson Wealth Services

Peterson Wealth Services lessened its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 9.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,631 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,631 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific comprises approximately 1.6% of Peterson Wealth Services’ holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Peterson Wealth Services’ holdings in Union Pacific were worth $3,839,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% during 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 in the last quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC now owns 2,393 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $588,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 5,573 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,369,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 1,886 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $463,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Obsidian Personal Planning Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Obsidian Personal Planning Solutions LLC now owns 2,416 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $492,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP traded up $1.51 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $230.74. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 310,046 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,284,941. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $246.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $233.55. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $190.37 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The stock has a market cap of $140.77 billion, a PE ratio of 21.91, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.67 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 49.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on UNP. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.48.

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.