Unigestion Holding SA Lowers Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Unigestion Holding SA cut its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 53,732 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 1,507 shares during the period. Unigestion Holding SA's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $12,253,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" 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 for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Loop Capital lowered Union Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $259.18.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. This trade represents 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 Stock Down 0.4 %

Union Pacific stock traded down $0.87 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $218.45. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,167,469 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,509,678. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week high of $258.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $130.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.65, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. 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's 50-day simple moving average is $237.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $237.47.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS 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 previous year, the firm posted $2.71 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.45%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

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.