National Pension Service Grows Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

National Pension Service boosted its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,163,405 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 57,407 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned about 0.19% of Union Pacific worth $265,303,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 111.5% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 129 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on UNP shares. Benchmark upped their price target on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price objective (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $261.40.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Union Pacific stock opened at $245.83 on Wednesday. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $218.55 and a 52-week high of $258.66. The company has a market cap of $148.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.17, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $238.19 and its 200 day moving average is $240.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.71 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

Insider Activity

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

About Union Pacific

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.