Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. Sells 204 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. lessened its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,054 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 204 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,837,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Traveka Wealth LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 3.4% during the third quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 1,357 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $335,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC now owns 2,276 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $561,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 213 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Pflug Koory LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 8,569 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,954,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Regatta Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 1,672 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $381,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 64,960 shares in the company, 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 currently owned by insiders.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Union Pacific stock opened at $249.67 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.77. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $218.55 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $234.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $239.94. The company has a market capitalization of $151.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.93, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.71 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.15%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on UNP shares. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.30.

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.