Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 2.9% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 574,798 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 17,354 shares during the period. Union Pacific makes up about 1.0% of Westwood Holdings Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $132,250,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Pines Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 1.7% during the second quarter. Pines Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,520 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $595,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 1.1% in the first quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 4,004 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $946,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Five Oceans Advisors boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 3.9% during the second quarter. Five Oceans Advisors now owns 1,183 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 1.6% during the second quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 3,012 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $693,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schubert & Co increased its position in Union Pacific by 1.9% during the second quarter. Schubert & Co now owns 2,511 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $578,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $239.90 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $226.39 and its 200 day moving average is $225.79. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $204.66 and a 1-year high of $256.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The company has a market cap of $142.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.38, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.09. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.23% and a net margin of 28.73%.The business had revenue of $6.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.75 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 5th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group set a $253.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. TD Cowen cut their target price on Union Pacific from $258.00 to $257.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $263.00 price objective on Union Pacific and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.54.

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.