Jacobs & Co. CA Reduces Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Jacobs & Co. CA decreased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 59,847 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 747 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific comprises about 1.7% of Jacobs & Co. CA’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Jacobs & Co. CA’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $14,699,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Columbia Trust Co 01012016 increased its stake in Union Pacific by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Columbia Trust Co 01012016 now owns 3,577 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $879,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the period. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,945 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,215,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC grew its position in Union Pacific by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 3,227 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $793,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Bar Harbor Wealth Management lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Bar Harbor Wealth Management now owns 7,369 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,810,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 28.3% in the 4th quarter. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,509 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,353,000 after acquiring an additional 1,216 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of UNP opened at $244.63 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $149.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.39, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $190.37 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $247.48 and a 200-day moving average of $230.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. Union Pacific’s revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.67 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 49.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on UNP. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Raymond James increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $249.67.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

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.