Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by TIAA Trust National Association

TIAA Trust National Association lessened its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 46,020 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 908 shares during the period. TIAA Trust National Association’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $10,494,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Palogic Value Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. now owns 2,823 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Roble Belko & Company Inc increased its stake in Union Pacific by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 213 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Pflug Koory LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 8,569 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,954,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Baron Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,409 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $321,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mystic Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,309 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $527,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. The trade was 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 on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UNP. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $285.00 price objective (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.00.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Union Pacific stock opened at $235.90 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $242.98 and a 200-day moving average of $239.73. The stock has a market cap of $142.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $218.55 and a 52 week high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.71 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued 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 dividend yield of 2.27%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

Union Pacific Company 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.