Sandy Spring Bank Reduces Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Sandy Spring Bank cut its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 6.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 20,922 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,515 shares during the quarter. Sandy Spring Bank’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $4,771,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Howard Capital Management Group LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 16.4% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 2,860 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $705,000 after buying an additional 403 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 12,906 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,181,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. OneAscent Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter valued at about $304,000. Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its position in Union Pacific by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 21,158 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $5,217,000 after buying an additional 1,038 shares during the period. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 5,203.9% in the 3rd quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC now owns 47,099 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $11,609,000 after buying an additional 46,211 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on UNP. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price target (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $263.00.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE UNP opened at $236.24 on Thursday. 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 firm has a market cap of $142.76 billion, a PE ratio of 21.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $242.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $240.35. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $218.55 and a 52 week high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now 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 SEC, 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 that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.