Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Bought by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 12.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,616,895 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 2.38% of Union Pacific worth $3,282,305,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Palogic Value Management L.P. boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. now owns 2,823 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 26.8% during the fourth quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 213 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Pflug Koory LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 8,569 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,954,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Baron Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,409 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mystic Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Union Pacific by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,309 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $527,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. The trade was 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 corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.76.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $236.37 on Tuesday. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.07. The stock has a market cap of $141.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.31, 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. The company has a 50-day moving average of $243.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $239.32.

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

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

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.