Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. decreased its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNPFree Report) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,773 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,097 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $10,210,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,788,337 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $6,109,829,000 after purchasing an additional 217,780 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,813,686 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,146,451,000 after buying an additional 182,620 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Union Pacific by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,795,993,000 after buying an additional 625,492 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,305,684 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,437,948,000 after buying an additional 20,099 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,020,107 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,237,356,000 after buying an additional 31,899 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on UNP shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price target for the company. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.00.

View Our Latest Research Report on Union Pacific

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $247.97 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $218.55 and a 12 month high of $258.07. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $241.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $240.98.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNPGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.71 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.16%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

Union Pacific Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

See Also

Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP)

Receive News & Ratings for Union Pacific Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Union Pacific and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.