Bleakley Financial Group LLC Sells 672 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Bleakley Financial Group LLC cut its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 16,086 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 672 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $3,668,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $1,669,000. NovaPoint Capital LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. NovaPoint Capital LLC now owns 18,679 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,259,000 after buying an additional 884 shares during the last quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,655 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,746,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the period. Private Management Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 1,024 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $233,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Choreo LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 22.2% in the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 47,833 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $10,901,000 after purchasing an additional 8,692 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on UNP shares. Benchmark raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Loop Capital cut Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $261.40.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of UNP stock opened at $243.61 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.97, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $218.55 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $235.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.71 EPS. Research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 12.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

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.