Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. Lowers Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. reduced its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 8.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,393 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 400 shares during the period. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,079,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Union Pacific by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,261,449 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,478,649,000 after acquiring an additional 19,145 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 4.4% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,803,796 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,385,457,000 after purchasing an additional 285,988 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 62.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,496,708 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,119,295,000 after purchasing an additional 2,119,382 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Union Pacific by 18.8% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,003,423 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,018,847,000 after purchasing an additional 792,896 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 108.9% in the 3rd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,128,575 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $840,702,000 after buying an additional 2,151,893 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on UNP shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $252.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Benchmark upped their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.78.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.6 %

NYSE:UNP opened at $237.13 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $243.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $235.77. The company has a market capitalization of $144.68 billion, a PE ratio of 22.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $190.71 and a 1-year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 49.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

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.