Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA

Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA lowered its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,369 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 149 shares during the quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,331,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Howard Capital Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 16.4% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 2,860 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $705,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2,025.4% during the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $134,636,000 after acquiring an additional 520,536 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the third quarter worth $30,000. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 43.5% in the third quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 3,682 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $908,000 after buying an additional 1,117 shares during the period. Finally, Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 13.2% in the third quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. now owns 4,355 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,073,000 after purchasing an additional 508 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNP has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup raised their target price on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $261.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Union Pacific stock opened at $245.15 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $218.55 and a 1 year high of $258.07. The company has a market capitalization of $148.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $240.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $241.00.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.19%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

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.