Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd.

Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. decreased its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 34.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,428 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 2,323 shares during the quarter. Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,010,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Union Pacific during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 111.5% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 129 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, PrairieView Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on UNP shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark 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. Loop Capital cut shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $263.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the 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 approximately $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Union Pacific Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $234.36 on Friday. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.07. The company has a market cap of $141.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $241.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $240.85.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 period in the previous year, the business earned $2.71 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 2.29%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 48.33%.

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.