Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Increases Stock Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 107.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 109,601 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 56,752 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $25,353,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Midwest Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% during the third quarter. Midwest Trust Co now owns 281,036 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $66,428,000 after acquiring an additional 7,759 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 39.8% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 65,826 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $15,559,000 after purchasing an additional 18,742 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in Union Pacific by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 135,188 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $31,955,000 after purchasing an additional 17,696 shares in the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $802,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 29.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 653,589 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $154,488,000 after purchasing an additional 149,158 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, January 19th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $270.00 price target (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $267.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Evercore raised Union Pacific from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $262.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Union Pacific from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $264.86.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $234.30 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $247.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $234.19. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week high of $268.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $139.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.95.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The railroad operator reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.92 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.15 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.12% and a return on equity of 40.89%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.91 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.12%.

Union Pacific Company Profile

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) is one of the largest freight railroad companies in the United States. Its principal operating subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad, has roots that trace back to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and the construction of the first transcontinental rail link completed in 1869. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, and operates as a holding company for rail transportation and related services.

Union Pacific’s core business is the movement of freight by rail across an extensive rail network serving the western two‑thirds of the United States.