Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Purchased by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 59,034 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,143 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $14,500,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of UNP. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 90,390.6% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,697,556 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,836,353,000 after purchasing an additional 13,682,419 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,983,932 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,860,303,000 after buying an additional 883,963 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,261,449 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,478,649,000 after buying an additional 19,145 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 4.4% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,803,796 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,385,457,000 after acquiring an additional 285,988 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $1,276,498,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.2 %

UNP stock opened at $229.78 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $246.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $233.55. The company has a market capitalization of $140.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.91, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $190.37 and a twelve month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.67 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 49.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on UNP shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $228.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Benchmark raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.48.

Union Pacific Company 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.