Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC Increases Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC increased its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,458 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $789,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. World Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 103.1% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 35,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $8,770,000 after purchasing an additional 18,060 shares during the period. abrdn plc grew its stake in Union Pacific by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. abrdn plc now owns 415,874 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $94,588,000 after buying an additional 35,414 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 179,925 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $44,348,000 after purchasing an additional 4,939 shares during the last quarter. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd now owns 277,267 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $63,185,000 after buying an additional 53,946 shares during the period. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 61.5% during the 4th quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 10,500 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,394,000 after acquiring an additional 4,000 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on UNP shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price objective for the company. Loop Capital cut Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $285.00 price objective (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $263.00.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $234.36 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $241.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $240.85. The company has a market capitalization of $141.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $218.55 and a 1-year high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released 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 period in the prior year, the business posted $2.71 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 48.33%.

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 in the company, valued at $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % 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, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.