Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Stake Lessened by Conning Inc.

Conning Inc. trimmed its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 11.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 145,511 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 19,205 shares during the period. Union Pacific comprises 1.2% of Conning Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Conning Inc.'s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $35,669,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNP. MAS Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the first quarter valued at approximately $233,000. Roundview Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.8% in the first quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 16,608 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $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 in the first quarter valued at approximately $569,000. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.7% in the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 47,144 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $12,880,000 after purchasing an additional 1,664 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 10.1% in the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,745 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Union Pacific from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $280.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Benchmark boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $253.48.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP stock traded down $1.76 on Friday, hitting $234.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,594,970 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,168,043. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $247.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $233.18. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $190.37 and a 1 year high of $258.66. The stock has a market cap of $143.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.67 EPS. Union Pacific's revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11 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. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 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 completion of the transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.