HighPoint Advisor Group LLC Trims Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC lessened its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 6.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,330 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 1,330 shares during the quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $4,759,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,927,377,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth $1,035,905,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its position in Union Pacific by 74.7% during the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,146,990 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $489,600,000 after acquiring an additional 918,248 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 9.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,795,993,000 after acquiring an additional 625,492 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 33,228.4% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 504,258 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $114,991,000 after acquiring an additional 502,745 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on UNP shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup raised their price target on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $295.00 target price for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $261.95.

Remove Ads

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP traded up $1.17 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $238.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,023,200 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,429,422. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $142.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.49, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $243.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $239.24. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 in the prior year, the company posted $2.71 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were 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 $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

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.