Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Lowers Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 17.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 143,861 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 31,125 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $32,806,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth about $20,683,000. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,997 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $683,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $689,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 71.2% in the 4th quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 1,924 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $439,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Loop Capital lowered Union Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $257.50.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of UNP traded down $1.07 on Friday, reaching $221.44. The stock had a trading volume of 4,179,597 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,642,700. The firm has a market capitalization of $132.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $221.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $232.74. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $204.66 and a 12-month high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.73 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.11 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Union Pacific's payout ratio is currently 48.29%.

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.