Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Acquired by Meeder Asset Management Inc.

Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 223.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 307 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 212 shares during the quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $70,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Howard Capital Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 16.4% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 2,860 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $705,000 after buying an additional 403 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 940.7% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 25,529 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,297,000 after purchasing an additional 23,076 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.1% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 590,549 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $145,332,000 after purchasing an additional 17,778 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 32.3% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 100,483 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $24,755,000 after purchasing an additional 24,518 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Investment Management Corp of Ontario lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 49.6% during the third quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 20,216 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,983,000 after purchasing an additional 6,700 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on UNP shares. Susquehanna cut 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. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Benchmark upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.76.

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 stock was 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 directly 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP stock opened at $237.11 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $243.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $239.24. The firm has a market cap of $142.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $218.55 and a 1 year high of $258.07.

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, beating 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $2.71 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

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.