North Star Asset Management Inc. Sells 7,205 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

North Star Asset Management Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 12.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 52,659 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 7,205 shares during the period. North Star Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $12,934,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Personal CFO Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 39.3% in the third quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,407 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 397 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 46.9% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 87,905 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $21,596,000 after buying an additional 28,052 shares during the period. Procyon Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 48.3% in the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 18,512 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $4,547,000 after buying an additional 6,031 shares during the period. Advisor Resource Council bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $606,000. Finally, Factory Mutual Insurance Co. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Factory Mutual Insurance Co. now owns 184,700 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $45,366,000 after buying an additional 19,600 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE UNP traded up $2.27 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $232.08. 2,971,911 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,964,102. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $245.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $234.16. The company has a market capitalization of $141.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $190.37 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The business's quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 2.24%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.71%.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on UNP. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised 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. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Eight 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $253.48.

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.