Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Purchased by First Horizon Advisors Inc.

First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 75,272 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 791 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $18,488,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Union Pacific by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,261,449 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,478,649,000 after acquiring an additional 19,145 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 4.4% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,803,796 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,385,457,000 after purchasing an additional 285,988 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,867,842 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,441,260,000 after purchasing an additional 125,522 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 62.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,496,708 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,119,295,000 after purchasing an additional 2,119,382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 18.8% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,003,423 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,018,847,000 after purchasing an additional 792,896 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $252.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.78.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded up $1.74 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $236.70. 667,196 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,291,135. The company has a market cap of $144.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $190.71 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $243.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $235.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The business’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.67 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 49.62%.

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.