Reaves W H & Co. Inc. Reduces Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Reaves W H & Co. Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 303,261 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,449 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific makes up approximately 1.8% of Reaves W H & Co. Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. owned 0.05% of Union Pacific worth $69,156,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 111.5% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 129 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup upped their target price on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays upped their target price on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price objective (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $261.40.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.5 %

Union Pacific stock opened at $245.50 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $218.55 and a one year high of $258.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.35 billion, a PE ratio of 22.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The business’s fifty day moving average is $239.83 and its 200 day moving average is $240.97.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 in the previous year, the firm earned $2.71 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. The trade was 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 currently owned by insiders.

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.