Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Boosts Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 46.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 90,623 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,800 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $20,666,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Roble Belko & Company Inc raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 26.8% during the 4th quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 213 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Pflug Koory LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 8,569 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,954,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,409 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $321,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 1,672 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $381,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Link Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. True Link Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,016 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $990,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $245.43 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $148.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $218.55 and a one year high of $258.66. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $237.68 and its 200-day moving average is $240.70.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 earned $2.71 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $285.00 target price (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark boosted 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. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $261.40.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.