Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Moody National Bank Trust Division

Moody National Bank Trust Division trimmed its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,251 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 364 shares during the quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,338,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 265.7% in the third quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 128 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP traded up $1.38 during trading on Monday, reaching $226.59. The company had a trading volume of 1,061,701 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,356,848. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $218.55 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.77. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $234.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $238.83. The stock has a market cap of $137.37 billion, a PE ratio of 20.81, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.78 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.14 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.51 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $252.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on Union Pacific from $277.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven 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 currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.80.

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.