Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 34,478 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 218 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $7,862,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,788,337 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,109,829,000 after purchasing an additional 217,780 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 182,620 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,795,993,000 after acquiring an additional 625,492 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,305,684 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,437,948,000 after acquiring an additional 20,099 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,020,107 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,237,356,000 after acquiring an additional 31,899 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the company’s 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. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the president now owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $233.79 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $141.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.08, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $242.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $240.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $218.55 and a 1-year high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.71 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNP has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup lifted their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price objective for the company. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $285.00 price objective (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price target for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $263.00.

Union Pacific Company 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.