Sanctuary Advisors LLC Has $28.60 Million Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Sanctuary Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 114,432 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 5,571 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $28,599,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. KLCM Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc. now owns 20,519 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,679,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 505.0% in the 4th quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 726 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $166,000 after purchasing an additional 606 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $143,000. Monument Capital Management lifted its position in Union Pacific by 23.6% during the 4th quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 1,120 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Union Pacific by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 13,765 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,139,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on UNP. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $261.40.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP opened at $249.27 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $151.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.48, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.06. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $236.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $240.45. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $218.55 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.71 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 48.33%.

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.