Forte Capital LLC ADV Decreases Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Forte Capital LLC ADV decreased its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,021 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Forte Capital LLC ADV’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $233,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 111.5% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 129 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $245.43 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $148.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.13, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $218.55 and a 1 year high of $258.66. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $237.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $240.69.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.71 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $285.00 price target (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Loop Capital lowered Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $261.40.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.