Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Sells 1,114 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lessened its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 50,194 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,114 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $12,372,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.3% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 8,312,154 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,880,701,000 after purchasing an additional 106,996 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in Union Pacific by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 7,370,752 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,812,689,000 after buying an additional 518,985 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,970,669 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,350,924,000 after buying an additional 124,571 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 5.7% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,396,974 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,081,348,000 after acquiring an additional 237,083 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 8.3% during the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 4,218,730 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $954,530,000 after acquiring an additional 322,129 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of UNP traded down $1.79 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $238.62. The stock had a trading volume of 201,266 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,304,455. The firm has a market cap of $144.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $242.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $238.64. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $215.81 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.78 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.51 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on UNP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. StockNews.com downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on Union Pacific from $277.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $259.80.

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.