Steph & Co. Buys 66 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Steph & Co. increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,092 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the quarter. Steph & Co.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $759,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Oakworth Capital Inc. boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 11,197 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,750,000 after acquiring an additional 318 shares during the last quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,721 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,142,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares during the period. Tyche Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,254,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 245,868 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $60,390,000 after buying an additional 28,785 shares during the period. Finally, West Paces Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 1,886 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $463,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock traded down $2.03 on Wednesday, hitting $229.23. 1,996,076 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,313,175. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $246.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $233.58. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $190.37 and a one year high of $258.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $139.85 billion, a PE ratio of 22.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.67 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 49.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Susquehanna increased their price objective 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $228.00 to $251.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. 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.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.48.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.26% of the stock is currently 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.