ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Reduces Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 18.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,650 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,021 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,142,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 39.3% in the third quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,407 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 46.9% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 87,905 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $21,596,000 after purchasing an additional 28,052 shares during the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 48.3% in the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 18,512 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,547,000 after buying an additional 6,031 shares in the last quarter. Advisor Resource Council acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth about $606,000. Finally, Factory Mutual Insurance Co. increased its stake in Union Pacific by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Factory Mutual Insurance Co. now owns 184,700 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $45,366,000 after buying an additional 19,600 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $228.00 to $251.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com cut Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.48.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of UNP traded up $2.27 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $232.08. The stock had a trading volume of 2,971,911 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,964,102. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $245.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $233.73. The company has a market cap of $141.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.19, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $190.37 and a 1-year high of $258.66.

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

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 49.71%.

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.