Point72 Europe London LLP Invests $479,000 in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Point72 Europe London LLP purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 2,100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $479,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allred Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Allred Capital Management LLC now owns 8,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,904,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. now owns 2,823 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $644,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 26.8% during the fourth quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 213 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Pflug Koory LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Baron Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,409 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Stock Up 1.0%

UNP stock opened at $230.55 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $137.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $204.66 and a fifty-two week high of $258.07. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $224.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $233.67. 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 (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.73 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.69 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on UNP. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. TD Cowen boosted their price target 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. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $259.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $257.86.

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.