Oxler Private Wealth LLC Decreases Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Oxler Private Wealth LLC lessened its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,766 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 79 shares during the quarter. Oxler Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,087,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Austin Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 41.8% during the 4th quarter. Austin Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $418,000 after buying an additional 541 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 14,148 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,226,000 after purchasing an additional 1,242 shares during the period. Country Trust Bank grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 257.9% in the fourth quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 859 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $196,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management now owns 2,033 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $464,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. Finally, Sonora Investment Management Group LLC raised its position in Union Pacific by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC now owns 68,298 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $15,575,000 after purchasing an additional 980 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.30.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.8 %

Union Pacific stock opened at $247.85 on Friday. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $218.55 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $235.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $240.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The firm has a market cap of $150.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.35, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the business posted $2.71 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 12.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.