Chesley Taft & Associates LLC Sells 350 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC lessened its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 49,864 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 350 shares during the quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $11,780,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. EnRich Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. PrairieView Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its stake in Union Pacific by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP stock opened at $220.91 on Thursday. 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 company’s 50-day moving average is $220.85 and its 200-day moving average is $232.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $131.99 billion, a PE ratio of 19.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $204.66 and a 1 year high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.73 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.11 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. The firm’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.69 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 48.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on UNP. Stephens reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $259.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $260.00 to $244.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group cut their price target 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. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $257.74.

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.