917 Shares in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Purchased by Milestone Asset Management LLC

Milestone Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 917 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $209,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management boosted its position in Union Pacific by 71.2% in the 4th quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 1,924 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $439,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the period. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC now owns 12,036 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,745,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Invesco LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Invesco LLC now owns 1,412 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Field & Main Bank increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Field & Main Bank now owns 7,234 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,650,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Union Pacific by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 69,343 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $15,813,000 after buying an additional 6,452 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific 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 value of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This 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 corporate insiders.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP opened at $249.75 on Friday. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $218.55 and a 52-week high of $258.66. The company has a market cap of $151.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The company has a 50 day moving average of $235.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $240.01.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the company earned $2.71 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 12.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 48.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $263.30.

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.