Wellington Shields & Co. LLC Decreases Stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)

Wellington Shields & Co. LLC lessened its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 3.5% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 17,488 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 633 shares during the period. Union Pacific accounts for about 1.3% of Wellington Shields & Co. LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $4,131,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of UNP. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 7,152.9% during the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 5,077 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,158,000 after acquiring an additional 5,007 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Union Pacific by 223.2% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 307 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Summit Financial LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 17,154 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,912,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 449,437 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $102,490,000 after buying an additional 29,928 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tradewinds LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $625,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $223.82 on Wednesday. Union Pacific Corporation has a one year low of $204.66 and a one year high of $258.07. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $227.07 and its 200-day moving average is $231.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $133.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.09 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%. Union Pacific’s revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.74 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.47%. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $271.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Susquehanna upgraded Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $245.00 to $260.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Union Pacific from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $259.46.

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.