Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Emprise Bank

Emprise Bank lowered its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,560 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 181 shares during the period. Emprise Bank’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,040,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UNP. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 272.3% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $379,689,000 after buying an additional 1,227,318 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 19,878.6% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 896,040 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $220,856,000 after buying an additional 891,555 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,795,993,000 after purchasing an additional 625,492 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 2,025.4% in the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $134,636,000 after purchasing an additional 520,536 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 170.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 736,246 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $181,470,000 after purchasing an additional 464,477 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP traded up $0.16 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $225.37. 793,968 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,321,143. The company has a market cap of $136.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $234.64 and a 200 day moving average of $238.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.78 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.51 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.38%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $262.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.80.

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.