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

CENTRAL TRUST Co reduced its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.6% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 107,018 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 665 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $25,282,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Allred Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Allred Capital Management LLC now owns 8,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,904,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. lifted its position in Union Pacific by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. now owns 2,823 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $644,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,309 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $527,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its position in Union Pacific by 38.8% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC now owns 3,458 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $789,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.5%

UNP opened at $224.59 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $221.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $231.31. The firm has a market cap of $134.19 billion, a PE ratio of 20.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $204.66 and a twelve month high of $258.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77.

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

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on UNP. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup upgraded Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $244.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays dropped their target price on Union Pacific from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $257.74.

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.