Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Buys 8,842 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 362,069 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,842 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich owned 0.06% of Union Pacific worth $88,931,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 108.9% in the third quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,128,575 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $840,702,000 after buying an additional 2,151,893 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 62.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,496,708 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,119,295,000 after acquiring an additional 2,119,382 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 65.5% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,348,496 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $478,224,000 after purchasing an additional 929,495 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 331.7% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 1,143,298 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $280,817,000 after purchasing an additional 878,490 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 20,736.8% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 803,677 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $197,399,000 after purchasing an additional 799,820 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. Benchmark upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $255.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

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 transaction of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP traded up $11.54 on Thursday, reaching $243.52. The stock had a trading volume of 3,897,475 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,334,341. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.81. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $190.37 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $244.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $234.62. The stock has a market cap of $148.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.67 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.71%.

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.