Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC Decreases Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC lessened its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 21,836 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 913 shares during the quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $4,980,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,927,377,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,035,905,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,282,305,000 after purchasing an additional 1,616,895 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in Union Pacific by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,370,559,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298,178 shares during the period. Finally, Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth approximately $273,361,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $216.20 on Monday. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $204.66 and a 12-month high of $258.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $129.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.50, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $225.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76.

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

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.48%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on UNP shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Loop Capital cut shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Redburn Atlantic raised Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $259.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Benchmark boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Citigroup raised Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $260.00 to $244.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $257.86.

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.