Shelter Mutual Insurance Co Sells 3,950 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Shelter Mutual Insurance Co reduced its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 10.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,523 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 3,950 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific comprises 2.4% of Shelter Mutual Insurance Co’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position. Shelter Mutual Insurance Co’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $8,725,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. MAS Advisors LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at about $233,000. Roundview Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 16,608 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,537,000 after purchasing an additional 614 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter worth approximately $569,000. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 47,144 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $12,880,000 after purchasing an additional 1,664 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 10.1% during the 1st quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,745 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UNP. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.48.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP opened at $232.08 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $141.59 billion, a PE ratio of 22.19, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $245.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $233.94. 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 Co. has a fifty-two week low of $190.37 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. Union Pacific’s revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.67 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other 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 transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.