Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Position Cut by Hartford Financial Management Inc.

Hartford Financial Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,303 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 195 shares during the quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $3,022,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 90,390.6% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,697,556 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,836,353,000 after purchasing an additional 13,682,419 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,276,498,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 108.9% in the third quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,128,575 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $840,702,000 after purchasing an additional 2,151,893 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 62.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,496,708 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,119,295,000 after acquiring an additional 2,119,382 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 638.3% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,014,327 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $550,334,000 after acquiring an additional 1,741,490 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna increased their target price on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on Union Pacific from $228.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $252.78.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE UNP traded down $0.71 during trading on Thursday, reaching $236.14. 1,692,332 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,318,011. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $247.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $232.59. The company has a market cap of $144.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $190.37 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The company had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.67 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.97 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.71%.

Insider Activity

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

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.