Cerity Partners LLC Decreases Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Cerity Partners LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 385,277 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 11,353 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC owned about 0.06% of Union Pacific worth $88,728,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Palogic Value Management L.P. raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. now owns 2,823 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $644,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 213 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Pflug Koory LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 8,569 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,954,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,409 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $321,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mystic Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,309 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $527,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on UNP shares. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $261.95.

Union Pacific Trading Down 5.0 %

NYSE:UNP opened at $212.86 on Monday. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $202.38 and a 12-month high of $258.07. The firm has a market cap of $127.57 billion, a PE ratio of 19.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $242.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $238.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (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 period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.71 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.28% 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.