Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Acquired by Cannell & Co.

Cannell & Co. boosted its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 48,175 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 928 shares during the quarter. Cannell & Co.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $11,833,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 48.6% in the 3rd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 309 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were 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 can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP traded down $1.60 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $235.56. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 512,604 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,296,489. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.93. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $190.71 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $243.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $235.77. The firm has a market cap of $143.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.67 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 49.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UNP shares. 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 research note on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen 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 an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.78.

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.