Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Sterling Financial Group Inc.

Sterling Financial Group Inc. lowered its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 27.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,076 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 800 shares during the period. Sterling Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $473,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 272.3% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $379,689,000 after purchasing an additional 1,227,318 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 19,878.6% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 896,040 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $220,856,000 after purchasing an additional 891,555 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,795,993,000 after purchasing an additional 625,492 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 2,025.4% in the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $134,636,000 after buying an additional 520,536 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 170.9% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 736,246 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $181,470,000 after buying an additional 464,477 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on UNP. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $252.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $259.35.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP opened at $234.88 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $234.14 and a 200-day moving average of $238.82. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $218.55 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The company has a market capitalization of $142.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.57, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.78 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.51 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.22%.

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.