Fiduciary Alliance LLC Reduces Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Fiduciary Alliance LLC trimmed its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 90.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,215 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 11,121 shares during the quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $274,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 27.2% during the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,630 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $5,558,000 after acquiring an additional 4,846 shares in the last quarter. Midwest Financial Group LLC raised its position in Union Pacific by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Midwest Financial Group LLC now owns 1,794 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $441,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 105.2% during the 4th quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC now owns 15,069 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,701,000 after buying an additional 7,727 shares in the last quarter. Wallington Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Wallington Asset Management LLC now owns 74,904 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $18,398,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 23.8% in the fourth quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,050 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $258,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the subject of several research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Union Pacific from $281.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.79.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Whited Elizabeth 3,553 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP traded down $1.75 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $236.80. The company had a trading volume of 1,939,231 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,306,879. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.60, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $199.33 and a 52-week high of $258.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $230.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $239.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The business had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.57 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 51.15%.

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.