Abbrea Capital LLC Grows Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Abbrea Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,462 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 244 shares during the period. Abbrea Capital LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,078,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 108.9% in the third quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,128,575 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $840,702,000 after purchasing an additional 2,151,893 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 62.8% in 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 during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Union Pacific by 65.5% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,348,496 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $478,224,000 after purchasing an additional 929,495 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 331.7% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 1,143,298 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $280,817,000 after purchasing an additional 878,490 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 20,736.8% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 803,677 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $197,399,000 after purchasing an additional 799,820 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded down $0.76 on Friday, hitting $242.79. 2,226,798 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,333,015. The stock has a market cap of $148.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.26, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.07. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average is $244.34 and its 200 day moving average is $234.68. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $190.45 and a 52-week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 46.87% and a net margin of 26.45%. The business’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.67 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $280.00 target price (up from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $252.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.78.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

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.