First Western Trust Bank Sells 367 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

First Western Trust Bank lowered its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 14.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,261 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 367 shares during the period. First Western Trust Bank’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $555,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $737,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,394 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC now owns 2,393 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $588,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP grew its position in Union Pacific by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 7,838 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,925,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sunflower Bank N.A. increased its stake in Union Pacific by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 5,573 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,369,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the 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 sale, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on UNP. Stifel Nicolaus raised Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $248.00 to $267.00 in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $280.00 price objective (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.61.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE:UNP traded up $0.71 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $246.61. The stock had a trading volume of 1,765,130 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,281,717. The stock has a market capitalization of $150.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.06. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $242.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $236.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.93. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $190.71 and a one year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.11%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.62%.

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.