Caption Management LLC Invests $7.80 Million in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Caption Management LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 33,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $7,800,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the second quarter worth $1,856,340,000. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 193.3% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 10,481,043 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,477,404,000 after acquiring an additional 6,908,016 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 95.0% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 8,713,196 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,059,538,000 after acquiring an additional 4,244,226 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 22,618.2% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,624,636 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $603,876,000 after purchasing an additional 2,613,083 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baupost Group LLC MA acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter worth about $353,658,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UNP. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $267.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $280.00 price objective on Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.77.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $242.22 on Friday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $204.66 and a 52 week high of $268.14. The company has a market capitalization of $143.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.24, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $246.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $233.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The railroad operator reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.92 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.15 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.12% and a return on equity of 40.89%. The firm’s revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.91 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.12%.

Union Pacific Profile

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) is one of the largest freight railroad companies in the United States. Its principal operating subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad, has roots that trace back to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and the construction of the first transcontinental rail link completed in 1869. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, and operates as a holding company for rail transportation and related services.

Union Pacific’s core business is the movement of freight by rail across an extensive rail network serving the western two?thirds of the United States.