Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. Sells 861 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 29.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,106 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 861 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $480,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UNP. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,035,905,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings 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 worth $489,600,000 after buying an additional 918,248 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 9.3% during the third 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 during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 2,025.4% during the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $134,636,000 after buying an additional 520,536 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 33,228.4% during the fourth 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. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on UNP shares. Barclays upped their price target on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $261.40.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $245.15 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $240.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $241.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. 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 market capitalization of $148.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 EPS. Research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Union Pacific Company 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.