Skylands Capital LLC Cuts Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Skylands Capital LLC cut its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 14.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 220,375 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 36,175 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific makes up 8.0% of Skylands Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Skylands Capital LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $54,129,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Silver Oak Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $219,000. Personal CFO Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 39.3% in the 3rd quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,407 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 46.9% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 87,905 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $21,596,000 after acquiring an additional 28,052 shares during the period. Procyon Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 48.3% in the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 18,512 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,547,000 after acquiring an additional 6,031 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor Resource Council bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $606,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company’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 transaction of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on UNP shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Seven investment 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.78.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP stock traded down $2.03 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $240.76. The company had a trading volume of 812,962 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,313,768. The firm has a market cap of $146.89 billion, a PE ratio of 23.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.93. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $190.71 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $244.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $235.33.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.67 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.62%.

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.