RiverFront Investment Group LLC Sells 178 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

RiverFront Investment Group LLC cut its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,658 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 178 shares during the quarter. RiverFront Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $606,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,927,377,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,035,905,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its stake in Union Pacific by 74.7% during the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,146,990 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $489,600,000 after acquiring an additional 918,248 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,795,993,000 after acquiring an additional 625,492 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 33,228.4% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 504,258 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $114,991,000 after purchasing an additional 502,745 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $232.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $140.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.93, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $218.55 and a fifty-two week high of $258.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $243.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $239.47.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price target for the company. Citigroup boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price target (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, January 24th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.76.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction 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 sale, the president now owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, 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 owned by company insiders.

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.