Vontobel Holding Ltd. Buys 918,248 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 74.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,146,990 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 918,248 shares during the period. Union Pacific comprises 1.7% of Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Vontobel Holding Ltd. owned approximately 0.35% of Union Pacific worth $489,600,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific in the third quarter worth $30,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 265.7% during the third quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 128 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 111.5% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 129 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UNP. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Loop Capital cut Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $261.40.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $250.96 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $235.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $240.36. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $218.55 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The firm has a market cap of $152.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

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.