May Hill Capital LLC Takes Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

May Hill Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,021 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $233,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Lokken Investment Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC now owns 4,500 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,026,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,282,305,000 after purchasing an additional 1,616,895 shares during the last quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 53,265 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $12,147,000 after purchasing an additional 4,442 shares in the last quarter. Tradewinds LLC. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $625,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 449,437 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $102,490,000 after buying an additional 29,928 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $237.11 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $243.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $239.24. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $218.55 and a one year high of $258.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $142.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 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 quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.71 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific 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 sale, the president now owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $285.00 target price (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 target price for the company. 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 report on Friday, January 24th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. One investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.76.

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.