Naples Money Management LLC Buys Shares of 12,112 Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Naples Money Management LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 12,112 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $2,975,000. Union Pacific comprises approximately 2.8% of Naples Money Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,442 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $354,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Cutler Investment Counsel LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Cutler Investment Counsel LLC now owns 34,571 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $8,491,000 after buying an additional 337 shares during the last quarter. First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $215,000. HTLF Bank acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $711,000. Finally, ADE LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $226,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Up 1.0 %

Union Pacific stock traded up $2.27 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $232.08. The company had a trading volume of 2,946,614 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,312,077. The stock has a market cap of $141.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.13, a PEG ratio of 2.48 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 company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11. The business has a fifty day moving average of $245.64 and a 200 day moving average of $233.53.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The firm’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.67 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 49.71%.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNP has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Benchmark boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.48.

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.