WD Rutherford LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

WD Rutherford LLC decreased its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,837 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 130 shares during the period. WD Rutherford LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,905,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $737,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Union Pacific by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,394 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $342,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC now owns 2,393 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $588,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. raised its stake in Union Pacific by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 5,573 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,369,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Paces Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Union Pacific by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 1,886 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $463,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were 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 owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on UNP shares. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $252.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.78.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $242.84 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $244.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $234.95. The company has a market cap of $148.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $190.45 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.67 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.14%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.62%.

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.