Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Polar Capital Holdings Plc

Polar Capital Holdings Plc lessened its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 21.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 57,057 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 15,453 shares during the period. Polar Capital Holdings Plc’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $13,011,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,306 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $526,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 34,430 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $7,851,000 after buying an additional 7,277 shares during the last quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 120.2% in the fourth quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC now owns 1,099 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $251,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Apella Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 19.6% in the fourth quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 1,178 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $269,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 4,430 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,010,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $230.55 on Friday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $224.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $233.67. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $204.66 and a 12-month high of $258.07. The stock has a market cap of $137.75 billion, a PE ratio of 20.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.73 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.11 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.69 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on UNP shares. Stephens reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 target price for the company. Loop Capital cut shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $257.86.

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.