Grassi Investment Management Sells 700 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Grassi Investment Management decreased its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 49,983 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 700 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific comprises 1.0% of Grassi Investment Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Grassi Investment Management’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $11,398,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UNP. State Street Corp increased its position in Union Pacific by 0.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,788,337 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $6,109,829,000 after purchasing an additional 217,780 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,813,686 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,146,451,000 after buying an additional 182,620 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 8,312,154 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,880,701,000 after acquiring an additional 106,996 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Union Pacific by 9.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,795,993,000 after acquiring an additional 625,492 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 2.3% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,285,585 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,549,271,000 after acquiring an additional 143,896 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE UNP traded up $1.55 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $226.76. 1,226,059 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,379,684. The company has a market cap of $137.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.06. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $234.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $238.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $218.55 and a one year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. The company’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.51 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 49.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Raymond James lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.80.

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.