Quantbot Technologies LP Purchases 6,925 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 117.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,818 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,925 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,923,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price objective (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, January 24th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their target price for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. 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. Finally, Benchmark raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.00.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were 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 directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $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 currently owned by insiders.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE UNP opened at $233.79 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $218.55 and a 1-year high of $258.07. The company has a 50 day moving average of $242.68 and a 200-day moving average of $240.05. The company has a market cap of $141.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.08, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business earned $2.71 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.29%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

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.