Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Transcendent Capital Group LLC

Transcendent Capital Group LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 80.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 251 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,011 shares during the quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $57,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Howard Capital Management Group LLC grew its position 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 worth $705,000 after acquiring an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 42,514 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $10,383,000 after acquiring an additional 5,646 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 51.7% in the 3rd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 3,636 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $896,000 after buying an additional 1,239 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,258 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $310,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its position in Union Pacific by 8.8% in the third quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 13,694 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,375,000 after buying an additional 1,103 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.3 %

UNP opened at $242.39 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $237.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $240.74. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $218.55 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The stock has a market cap of $146.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.86, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. 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 (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 last year, the business posted $2.71 EPS. As a group, equities 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 48.33%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on UNP. Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price objective (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Loop Capital lowered Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $261.40.

Union Pacific 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.