Rhumbline Advisers Has $284.49 Million Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Rhumbline Advisers cut its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,247,535 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 11,434 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in Union Pacific were worth $284,488,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 74.7% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,146,990 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $489,600,000 after buying an additional 918,248 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 19,878.6% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 896,040 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $220,856,000 after acquiring an additional 891,555 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,795,993,000 after acquiring an additional 625,492 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2,025.4% during the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $134,636,000 after acquiring an additional 520,536 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 170.9% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 736,246 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $181,470,000 after acquiring an additional 464,477 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on UNP. Citigroup lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 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 dropped their price objective for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $285.00 target price (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $261.40.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $249.27 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $236.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $240.44. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $218.55 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The company has a market cap of $151.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.48, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 period in the prior year, the business posted $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

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 given a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the business’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 value 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. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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 owned by company insiders.

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.