Skylands Capital LLC Trims Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Skylands Capital LLC lowered its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 14.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 220,375 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 36,175 shares during the period. Union Pacific accounts for about 8.0% of Skylands Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Skylands Capital LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $54,129,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,261,449 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,478,649,000 after buying an additional 19,145 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 4.4% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,803,796 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,385,457,000 after purchasing an additional 285,988 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 62.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,496,708 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,119,295,000 after purchasing an additional 2,119,382 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 18.8% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,003,423 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,018,847,000 after purchasing an additional 792,896 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 108.9% in the third quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,128,575 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $840,702,000 after purchasing an additional 2,151,893 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.78.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of UNP traded down $2.03 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $240.76. 812,962 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,313,768. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $190.71 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The company has a market capitalization of $146.89 billion, a PE ratio of 23.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a 50 day moving average of $244.27 and a 200 day moving average of $235.33.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.08 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.62%.

Union Pacific Company 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.