Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Ameritas Advisory Services LLC

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC reduced its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 7.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,398 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 365 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,003,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 265.7% during the 3rd quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 128 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 111.5% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 129 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on UNP shares. Bank of America cut their price target on Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI cut shares of Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $254.00 to $247.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.35.

Union Pacific Stock Up 1.1 %

UNP stock opened at $236.73 on Wednesday. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $218.55 and a one year 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $233.67 and a 200-day moving average of $239.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $143.52 billion, a PE ratio of 21.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.78 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.51 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.96 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 49.22%.

Union Pacific Profile

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.