Massachusetts Wealth Management Reduces Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Massachusetts Wealth Management trimmed its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 6,417 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 50 shares during the period. Massachusetts Wealth Management’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,463,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UNP. State Street Corp boosted its position in Union Pacific by 0.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,788,337 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $6,109,829,000 after purchasing an additional 217,780 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,813,686 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,146,451,000 after buying an additional 182,620 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,795,993,000 after buying an additional 625,492 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.3% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,285,585 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,549,271,000 after purchasing an additional 143,896 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,020,107 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,237,356,000 after purchasing an additional 31,899 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $243.46 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.63. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $218.55 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The company has a market capitalization of $147.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.95, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a 50-day moving average of $235.25 and a 200-day moving average of $240.12.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.71 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 12.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on UNP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $285.00 target price (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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. Finally, Benchmark raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $261.40.

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.