Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Lowers Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. cut its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 6.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,607 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 2,930 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $9,728,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UNP. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,832,127,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,151,893 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,119,382 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,851,767 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,682,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285,144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Winslow Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $293,162,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE UNP traded down $0.27 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $227.35. 2,920,755 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,296,690. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $238.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $240.62. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $194.13 and a 1 year high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The company has a market cap of $138.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.67 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st will be paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 49.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on UNP shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $248.00 to $267.00 in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.61.

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.