Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc. cut its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 8.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,925 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 714 shares during the period. Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,947,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MAS Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter worth approximately $233,000. Roundview Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 16,608 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,537,000 after acquiring an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the first quarter worth $569,000. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. raised its position in Union Pacific by 3.7% during the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 47,144 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $12,880,000 after acquiring an additional 1,664 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. raised its position in Union Pacific by 10.1% during the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,745 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $477,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE:UNP traded up $0.27 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $244.90. 339,677 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,333,195. The company has a market capitalization of $149.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $190.37 and a one year high of $258.66. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $247.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $230.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 46.87% and a net margin of 26.45%. The company had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.71%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on UNP shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Raymond James boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $249.67.

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.