Middleton & Co. Inc. MA Sells 761 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Middleton & Co. Inc. MA reduced its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 11.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,118 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 761 shares during the quarter. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,395,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. World Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 103.1% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 35,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $8,770,000 after purchasing an additional 18,060 shares in the last quarter. abrdn plc grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. abrdn plc now owns 415,874 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $94,588,000 after buying an additional 35,414 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 179,925 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $44,348,000 after purchasing an additional 4,939 shares during the period. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd now owns 277,267 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $63,185,000 after acquiring an additional 53,946 shares during the period. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 61.5% during the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 10,500 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,394,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on UNP shares. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $285.00 target price (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, January 24th. Loop Capital cut shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $261.40.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 value of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. This represents 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 owned by insiders.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $246.94 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $239.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $240.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.22 billion, a PE ratio of 22.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $218.55 and a twelve month high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) 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 in the prior year, the business earned $2.71 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.17%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 48.33%.

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.