Huntington National Bank Sells 1,477 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Huntington National Bank decreased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 113,485 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,477 shares during the quarter. Huntington National Bank’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $25,879,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 2,860 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $705,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 940.7% in the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 25,529 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,297,000 after buying an additional 23,076 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in Union Pacific by 3.1% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 590,549 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $145,332,000 after buying an additional 17,778 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 32.3% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 100,483 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $24,755,000 after acquiring an additional 24,518 shares during the period. Finally, Investment Management Corp of Ontario raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 49.6% in the 3rd quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 20,216 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,983,000 after acquiring an additional 6,700 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP opened at $237.11 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $142.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $243.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $239.24. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $218.55 and a one year high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company posted $2.71 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Loop Capital lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price target (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.76.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.