Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Atlas Capital Advisors Inc.

Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. cut its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,214 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 51 shares during the period. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $277,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNP. Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 16.4% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 2,860 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $705,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in Union Pacific by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 100,483 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $24,755,000 after buying an additional 24,518 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 45.8% in the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 41,716 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $10,282,000 after acquiring an additional 13,103 shares during the period. Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 86.5% in the 3rd quarter. Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc now owns 2,380 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $587,000 after acquiring an additional 1,104 shares during the period. Finally, Wills Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% in the third quarter. Wills Financial Group Inc. now owns 24,718 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,093,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $261.95.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly 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 currently owned by company insiders.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $212.86 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $127.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $212.55 and a 12-month high of $258.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The company’s 50-day moving average is $242.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $238.85.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the company earned $2.71 EPS. Research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.52%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

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.