Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd Grows Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 21.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 958 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $235,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 48.6% in the 3rd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 309 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the third quarter valued at approximately $83,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following 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 the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Union Pacific Trading Up 4.1 %

Shares of UNP stock opened at $241.49 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $244.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $234.62. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $190.37 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The company has a market cap of $147.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.18, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

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

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on UNP shares. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $255.00.

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.