Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Welch & Forbes LLC

Welch & Forbes LLC cut its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,256 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 162 shares during the quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $5,221,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of UNP. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 17.5% in the 4th quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 7,416 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,822,000 after acquiring an additional 1,104 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 44.5% in the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 39,747 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $9,763,000 after acquiring an additional 12,249 shares during the last quarter. Lincoln National Corp grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 13,770 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,382,000 after acquiring an additional 1,165 shares during the last quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth $719,000. Finally, UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 3,949 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $970,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP traded up $3.26 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $242.47. 1,585,332 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,293,755. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $190.71 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The company has a market cap of $147.94 billion, a PE ratio of 23.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.06. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $242.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $236.79.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.67 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 49.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on UNP shares. StockNews.com upgraded Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.61.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, 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. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

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.