Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by CENTRAL TRUST Co

CENTRAL TRUST Co lowered its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 107,018 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 665 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $25,282,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 103.5% in the first quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. EnRich Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 38.8% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Midwest Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $54,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on UNP. Argus upgraded shares of Union Pacific to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Citigroup upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $260.00 to $244.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $259.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $257.74.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $224.59 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market cap of $134.19 billion, a PE ratio of 20.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $221.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $231.31. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $204.66 and a 1-year high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.73 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.11 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.69 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.29%.

About Union Pacific

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.