Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. Cuts Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 8.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,298 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,651 shares during the quarter. Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $3,945,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Roble Belko & Company Inc raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 26.8% in 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 increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC increased its stake 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 worth $321,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 1,672 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $381,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Link Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. True Link Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,016 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $990,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the subject of several research reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Benchmark upped their price target on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned 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 an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $261.40.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE:UNP opened at $245.43 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $237.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.69. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $218.55 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.71 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the 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 directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.