2,342 Shares in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Bought by Main Street Research LLC

Main Street Research LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 2,342 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $542,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 193.3% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 10,481,043 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,477,404,000 after purchasing an additional 6,908,016 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in 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 worth $2,059,538,000 after purchasing an additional 4,244,226 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 72.7% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,177,002 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,169,168,000 after purchasing an additional 3,861,636 shares during the period. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth $408,592,000. Finally, Baupost Group LLC MA acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth $353,658,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $274.00 target price (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Benchmark upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $315.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $307.00 price objective (up from $285.00) 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.47.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of UNP stock opened at $265.65 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.92. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $253.79 and its 200-day moving average is $243.99. The stock has a market cap of $157.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.88, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.99. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52-week low of $210.84 and a 52-week high of $276.40.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.22 billion for 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%. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.70 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total value of $549,400.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 114,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,492,157.40. This represents a 1.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total transaction of $469,625.07. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 31,386 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,716. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.