Lazari Capital Management Inc. Purchases Shares of 947 Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Lazari Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 947 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $216,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. World Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 103.1% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 35,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $8,770,000 after purchasing an additional 18,060 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 179,925 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $44,348,000 after purchasing an additional 4,939 shares during the period. Maj Invest Holding A S grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Maj Invest Holding A S now owns 676,098 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $166,645,000 after purchasing an additional 2,202 shares during the period. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd now owns 277,267 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $63,185,000 after purchasing an additional 53,946 shares during the period. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 61.5% during the 4th quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 10,500 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,394,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UNP. Susquehanna decreased their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $285.00 price target (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $277.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $261.40.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP stock opened at $247.85 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The firm has a market cap of $150.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $235.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $240.11.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly 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 return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.71 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 12.03 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 transaction 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 approximately $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 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. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.