New England Asset Management Inc. Lowers Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

New England Asset Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 11.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,835 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 1,965 shares during the period. New England Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $3,611,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Norges Bank bought a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,927,377,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth $1,035,905,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $3,282,305,000 after purchasing an additional 1,616,895 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,370,559,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298,178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth $273,361,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE:UNP traded up $0.50 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $231.35. 2,006,785 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,642,063. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $224.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $233.67. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $204.66 and a fifty-two week high of $258.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The company has a market capitalization of $138.22 billion, a PE ratio of 20.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07.

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

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Union Pacific's payout ratio is currently 48.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UNP. Barclays reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Raymond James reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $257.50.

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.