Oakworth Capital Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Oakworth Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 11,197 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 318 shares during the period. Oakworth Capital Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,750,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of UNP. MAS Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the first quarter worth about $233,000. Roundview Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.8% during the first quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 16,608 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,537,000 after purchasing an additional 614 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the first quarter worth about $569,000. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.7% during the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 47,144 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $12,880,000 after purchasing an additional 1,664 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 10.1% during the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,745 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the subject of a number of research reports. Benchmark lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Raymond James increased their target price on Union Pacific from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Eight 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.48.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP traded down $1.70 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $229.56. 1,230,333 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,302,013. The firm has a market capitalization of $140.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.11, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $190.37 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $246.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $233.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 46.87% and a net margin of 26.45%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.67 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend yield of 2.27%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.71%.

Union Pacific 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.