Tufton Capital Management Sells 93 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Tufton Capital Management lowered its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,319 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 93 shares during the quarter. Tufton Capital Management’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $815,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Power Corp of Canada bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the first quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Tyler Stone Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP stock traded up $1.43 on Thursday, hitting $230.66. 510,445 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,288,602. The firm has a market cap of $140.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.91, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $190.37 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $246.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The company’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.67 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 49.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.48.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

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.