Steph & Co. Raises Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Steph & Co. boosted its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,092 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Steph & Co.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $759,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 90,390.6% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,697,556 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,836,353,000 after acquiring an additional 13,682,419 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,983,932 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,860,303,000 after purchasing an additional 883,963 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Union Pacific by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,261,449 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,478,649,000 after purchasing an additional 19,145 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Union Pacific by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,803,796 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,385,457,000 after purchasing an additional 285,988 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $1,276,498,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP stock traded down $2.03 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $229.23. The stock had a trading volume of 1,996,076 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,313,175. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $246.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $233.58. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $190.37 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $139.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.11, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.07. 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) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 46.87% and a net margin of 26.45%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.67 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 49.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. 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 research report on Monday, January 22nd. Susquehanna boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.48.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Union Pacific 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.