Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC Purchases 606 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 505.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 726 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 606 shares during the quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $166,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 1,306.3% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 2,860 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $705,000 after acquiring an additional 403 shares during the period. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,990 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $490,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the period. OLD National Bancorp IN lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 28,194 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $6,949,000 after acquiring an additional 337 shares during the period. Finally, Vest Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 108.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 3,232 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $797,000 after acquiring an additional 1,681 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UNP. Barclays increased 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. BMO Capital Markets increased 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. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $261.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $249.27 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $151.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.48, a PEG ratio of 2.11 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. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The business’s 50 day moving average is $236.34 and its 200 day moving average is $240.41.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share 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 company earned $2.71 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

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.