Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Lowers Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. cut its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 288,779 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 8,400 shares during the quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.'s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $70,930,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 39.3% during the third quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,407 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 46.9% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 48.3% during the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 18,512 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $4,547,000 after purchasing an additional 6,031 shares in the last quarter. Advisor Resource Council purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth approximately $606,000. Finally, Factory Mutual Insurance Co. increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Factory Mutual Insurance Co. now owns 184,700 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $45,366,000 after purchasing an additional 19,600 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.7 %

UNP traded down $1.76 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $234.40. 2,594,970 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,168,043. The firm's fifty day moving average is $247.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $232.96. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $190.37 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11. The company has a market cap of $143.01 billion, a PE ratio of 22.41, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 46.87% and a net margin of 26.45%. The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.67 EPS. Union Pacific's revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.22%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on UNP. StockNews.com lowered Union Pacific from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $228.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Benchmark boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Eight investment 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $253.48.

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.