41,334 Shares in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Purchased by Verde Servicos Internacionais S.A.

Verde Servicos Internacionais S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 41,334 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $9,561,000. Union Pacific comprises about 3.1% of Verde Servicos Internacionais S.A.’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Midwest Trust Co boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Midwest Trust Co now owns 281,036 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $66,428,000 after purchasing an additional 7,759 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 135,188 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $31,955,000 after acquiring an additional 17,696 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 29.6% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 653,589 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $154,488,000 after acquiring an additional 149,158 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $802,000. Finally, Berman McAleer LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,036,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total transaction of $7,442,691.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 61,102 shares in the company, valued at $16,605,079.52. The trade was a 30.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 114,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,492,157.40. This trade represents a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 31,386 shares of company stock worth $8,461,716 over the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $300.00 target price (up from $260.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $277.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial set a $310.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $285.00 target price (up from $278.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.47.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $266.01 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The stock has a market cap of $157.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.91, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50-day moving average of $253.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $243.35. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12-month low of $210.84 and a 12-month high of $276.40.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.70 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 45.47%.

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.