Proficio Capital Partners LLC Acquires 502,745 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 33,228.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 504,258 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 502,745 shares during the quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC owned about 0.08% of Union Pacific worth $114,991,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 111.5% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 129 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on UNP shares. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $285.00 target price (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, January 24th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $261.40.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $245.12 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $239.05 and a 200-day moving average of $240.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $148.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $218.55 and a twelve month high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Insider Activity

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Union Pacific 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.