Gold Investment Management Ltd. Acquires 138 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Gold Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 20,161 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific makes up approximately 1.9% of Gold Investment Management Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Gold Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $4,598,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,788,337 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $6,109,829,000 after purchasing an additional 217,780 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,813,686 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,146,451,000 after buying an additional 182,620 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,795,993,000 after buying an additional 625,492 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,305,684 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,437,948,000 after buying an additional 20,099 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.6% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,020,107 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,237,356,000 after acquiring an additional 31,899 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $237.71 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $242.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.62. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $218.55 and a 52 week high of $258.07. The company has a market capitalization of $143.65 billion, a PE ratio of 21.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.71 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.25%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on UNP. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective 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. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Loop Capital cut shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Benchmark raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $263.00.

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.