Easterly Investment Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 22,790 Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Easterly Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 22,790 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $5,197,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $1,927,377,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its position in Union Pacific by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 35,139 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $8,013,000 after buying an additional 4,302 shares during the last quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $305,000. NEOS Investment Management LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 43,880 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $10,006,000 after purchasing an additional 4,320 shares during the period. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 257.4% during the fourth quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 307,667 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $70,160,000 after buying an additional 221,587 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on UNP shares. Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price objective (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $263.00.

Union Pacific Stock Up 1.0 %

UNP stock opened at $238.04 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $243.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $239.72. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $218.55 and a 1-year high of $258.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $143.84 billion, a PE ratio of 21.46, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 48.33%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the completion of 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 owned by corporate insiders.

About Union Pacific

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.