Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Souders Financial Advisors

Souders Financial Advisors decreased its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 28.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,495 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 4,552 shares during the quarter. Souders Financial Advisors’ holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,621,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp raised its position in Union Pacific by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,788,337 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,109,829,000 after purchasing an additional 217,780 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,813,686 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,146,451,000 after acquiring an additional 182,620 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 9.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,795,993,000 after purchasing an additional 625,492 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,305,684 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,437,948,000 after buying an additional 20,099 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,020,107 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,237,356,000 after acquiring an additional 31,899 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP opened at $241.43 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $145.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $218.55 and a 1-year high of $258.07. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $240.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $240.95.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 prior year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Loop Capital lowered Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price objective (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $261.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the president now owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Union Pacific

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.