Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Grows Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 362,069 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,842 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $88,931,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Abbrea Capital LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Abbrea Capital LLC now owns 8,462 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,078,000 after buying an additional 244 shares during the period. Syon Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 52.0% in the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 4,120 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,012,000 after purchasing an additional 1,410 shares during the period. Meritage Portfolio Management purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth about $206,000. Lyell Wealth Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP now owns 34,455 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $8,463,000 after purchasing an additional 4,145 shares during the period. Finally, Bailard Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 14,992 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,682,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP stock traded up $11.54 during trading on Thursday, hitting $243.52. The company had a trading volume of 3,897,475 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,334,341. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $244.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $234.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11. The company has a market cap of $148.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $190.37 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66.

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 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%. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.67 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business 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. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 49.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Benchmark raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Union Pacific from $228.00 to $251.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group increased their target price on Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven 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 a consensus target price of $255.00.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.