North Forty Two & Co. Takes Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

North Forty Two & Co. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 3,640 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $830,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of UNP. Howard Capital Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 16.4% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 2,860 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $705,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares during the last quarter. Claro Advisors LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 87.1% during the third quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 2,161 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $533,000 after acquiring an additional 1,006 shares during the last quarter. New England Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Union Pacific during the third quarter worth approximately $4,387,000. Baron Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 4.6% during the third quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,364 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $336,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lindenwold Advisors INC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 0.8% during the third quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 12,853 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,168,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $285.00 target price (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $263.00.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $236.84 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $242.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $240.38. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $218.55 and a 52 week high of $258.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The company has a market cap of $143.12 billion, a PE ratio of 21.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.71 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.