Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Short Interest Update

Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 7,660,000 shares, a growth of 28.3% from the February 13th total of 5,970,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,730,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days. Currently, 1.3% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Loop Capital lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird boosted 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, Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.00.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.5 %

UNP traded up $1.12 on Monday, reaching $238.65. 1,073,105 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,300,035. The company’s 50 day moving average is $242.05 and its 200-day moving average is $240.62. The company has a market cap of $144.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.54, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific has a twelve month low of $218.55 and a twelve month high of $258.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm posted $2.71 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Union Pacific will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Pacific

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. World Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 103.1% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 35,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $8,770,000 after purchasing an additional 18,060 shares during the period. abrdn plc boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. abrdn plc now owns 415,874 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $94,588,000 after purchasing an additional 35,414 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted 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 period. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd boosted its position in Union Pacific by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd now owns 277,267 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $63,185,000 after acquiring an additional 53,946 shares during the period. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic boosted its position in Union Pacific by 61.5% during the 4th quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 10,500 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,394,000 after acquiring an additional 4,000 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.