Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank reduced its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,721,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 90,000 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $392,457,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth $1,035,905,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 74.7% during the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,146,990 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $489,600,000 after buying an additional 918,248 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Union Pacific by 9.3% during the third 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. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 2,025.4% in the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $134,636,000 after buying an additional 520,536 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 33,228.4% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 504,258 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $114,991,000 after acquiring an additional 502,745 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup raised their price target on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $263.00.

Insider Activity

In other Union Pacific news, 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 transaction, the president now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of UNP stock opened at $237.61 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $241.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $240.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $218.55 and a 1-year high of $258.07. The firm has a market cap of $143.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.43, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced 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 last year, the firm posted $2.71 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

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.