Commerce Bank Sells 19,391 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Commerce Bank trimmed its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 486,333 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 19,391 shares during the period. Union Pacific comprises 0.8% of Commerce Bank’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Commerce Bank owned 0.08% of Union Pacific worth $119,453,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UNP. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 75,365 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $18,511,000 after purchasing an additional 4,089 shares in the last quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,333 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $329,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 27.9% during the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,064 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 15.8% in the 4th quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp now owns 3,127 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $768,000 after purchasing an additional 426 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth approximately $125,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on UNP shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $248.00 to $267.00 in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.61.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP traded down $2.39 on Thursday, hitting $232.32. 1,311,387 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,226,581. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $240.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $239.43. The firm has a market cap of $141.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $190.71 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The business’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.67 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.25 EPS 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 dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.62%.

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.