Well Done LLC Takes Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Well Done LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 1,082 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $266,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 90,390.6% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,697,556 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,836,353,000 after purchasing an additional 13,682,419 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its position in Union Pacific by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,983,932 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,860,303,000 after acquiring an additional 883,963 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,261,449 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,478,649,000 after buying an additional 19,145 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 4.4% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,803,796 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,385,457,000 after buying an additional 285,988 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth about $1,276,498,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $239.00 to $237.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 22nd. TD Cowen increased their target price on Union Pacific from $228.00 to $251.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $251.33.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP stock traded up $1.36 during trading on Thursday, hitting $245.99. The company had a trading volume of 972,869 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,343,795. The firm has a market cap of $150.00 billion, a PE ratio of 23.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $190.37 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $247.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $230.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 46.87% and a net margin of 26.45%. The company had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.67 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.71%.

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.