Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Purchased by First Horizon Advisors Inc.

First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 83,558 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,817 shares during the quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $19,055,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital City Trust Co. FL boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital City Trust Co. FL now owns 20,249 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,618,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Redmond Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 38.2% in the fourth quarter. Redmond Asset Management LLC now owns 1,592 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 21.2% in the fourth quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 7,843 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,789,000 after purchasing an additional 1,370 shares during the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 4,272 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $974,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dividend Assets Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Dividend Assets Capital LLC now owns 37,874 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $8,637,000 after purchasing an additional 924 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $245.43 on Friday. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $218.55 and a one year high of $258.66. The company has a market cap of $148.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.13, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $237.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $240.70.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.71 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on UNP. TD Cowen increased their target price on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $285.00 price target (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price target for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $261.40.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

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

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.