Independence Bank of Kentucky Has $1.71 Million Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 7,508 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 377 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,712,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 265.7% in the 3rd quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 128 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Union Pacific during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $247.85 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $150.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.06. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $235.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $240.16. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $218.55 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 in the previous year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 12.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.33%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on UNP. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays raised their target price on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Susquehanna cut their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.30.

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.