Bell Bank Has $354,000 Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Bell Bank lowered its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,554 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 42 shares during the quarter. Bell Bank’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $354,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its position in 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 in the last quarter. Pflug Koory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 8,569 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,954,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,409 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 1,672 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $381,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Link Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 1.2% during the third quarter. True Link Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,016 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $990,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on UNP. Benchmark boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Loop Capital lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $261.40.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of UNP opened at $245.43 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $218.55 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $237.68 and its 200-day moving average is $240.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.31 billion, a PE ratio of 22.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company 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 of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The shares were 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 owns 26,319 shares in the company, 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. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

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.