Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Reduces Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC cut its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 41.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,522 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 16,547 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $5,777,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 285.3% during the 3rd quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 420 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $86,000 after acquiring an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 110.9% during the third quarter. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC now owns 2,721 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,431 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 21,063.6% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 9,312 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,896,000 after buying an additional 9,268 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.9% in the third quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 3,896 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $793,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, Caprock Group LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 5,341 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,088,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP opened at $236.29 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $144.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.07. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $244.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $234.64. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $190.37 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.67 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group increased their price target on Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Seven 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $255.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by 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.