Donaldson Capital Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Donaldson Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 203,890 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 3,468 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific accounts for approximately 2.2% of Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $50,079,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, IMA Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded down $0.46 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $233.94. 2,297,959 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,321,577. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.81. The company has a market cap of $142.73 billion, a PE ratio of 22.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $247.04 and a 200-day moving average of $233.18. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $190.37 and a 12 month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 46.87% and a net margin of 26.45%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James upped their price target on Union Pacific from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.48.

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.