Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by GDS Wealth Management

GDS Wealth Management cut its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,764 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 95 shares during the period. GDS Wealth Management’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $679,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UNP. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, AJOVista LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $100,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.3 %

UNP traded up $0.71 on Thursday, reaching $246.61. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,765,130 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,281,717. The company has a market capitalization of $150.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.06. 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 fifty-two week low of $190.71 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $242.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $236.85.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.67 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on UNP. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $248.00 to $267.00 in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $259.61.

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.