Blueshift Asset Management LLC Purchases 466 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC raised its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 39.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,662 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 466 shares during the quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $379,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,035,905,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 74.7% in the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,146,990 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $489,600,000 after buying an additional 918,248 shares during the period. 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 buying an additional 625,492 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 33,228.4% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 504,258 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $114,991,000 after purchasing an additional 502,745 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 35.8% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,226,100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $279,600,000 after purchasing an additional 323,525 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target 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 downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $263.00.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $234.67 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $242.51 and a 200-day moving average of $240.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $141.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.16, a P/E/G 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 Co. has a twelve month low of $218.55 and a twelve month high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 last year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Insider Activity

In other Union Pacific news, 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 sale, the president now owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The shares were 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 owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.