Donaldson Capital Management LLC Purchases 457 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Donaldson Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 212,706 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 457 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific comprises 1.9% of Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $48,506,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,035,905,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 74.7% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,146,990 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $489,600,000 after acquiring an additional 918,248 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 9.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,795,993,000 after acquiring an additional 625,492 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2,025.4% in the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $134,636,000 after acquiring an additional 520,536 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 33,228.4% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 504,258 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $114,991,000 after acquiring an additional 502,745 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Friday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price target on the stock. Loop Capital lowered Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.00.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $247.97 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $241.44 and its 200-day moving average is $240.98. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $218.55 and a twelve month high of $258.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.36, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) 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 quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.71 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.16%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 sale, the president now owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.