West Paces Advisors Inc. Cuts Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

West Paces Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 8.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,736 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 150 shares during the period. West Paces Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $427,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,832,127,000. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 23.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,851,767 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,682,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285,144 shares during the last quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $293,162,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 65.5% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,348,496 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $478,224,000 after purchasing an additional 929,495 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 331.7% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 1,143,298 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $280,817,000 after purchasing an additional 878,490 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Benchmark boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price target on the stock. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.92.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded down $0.45 on Wednesday, hitting $223.61. 1,680,489 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,307,720. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $199.33 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $233.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $240.52. The company has a market cap of $136.43 billion, a PE ratio of 21.36, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.67 EPS. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 31st. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.62%.

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.