Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC Has $3.28 Million Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,366 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $3,276,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 111.5% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 129 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark upped their target price on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Loop Capital lowered Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price target for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $263.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific 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 transaction, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $234.67 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $242.51 and a 200-day moving average of $240.31. The company has a market cap of $141.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $218.55 and a 52 week high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $2.71 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. 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.