Trust Co. of Vermont Boosts Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 96,203 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 4,845 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific accounts for 1.1% of Trust Co. of Vermont’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $21,938,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 265.7% in the third quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 128 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI cut Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $254.00 to $247.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $262.00 to $253.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. 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. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.35.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.4 %

UNP traded down $0.90 on Friday, hitting $233.99. The company had a trading volume of 3,643,704 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,141,562. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $233.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $238.79. The company has a market cap of $141.86 billion, a PE ratio of 21.49, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.78 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.51 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.95 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.29%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 49.22%.

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.