Renaissance Technologies LLC Purchases 32,500 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 112.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 61,500 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 32,500 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $14,024,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of UNP. World Investment Advisors LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 18,060 shares in the last quarter. abrdn plc increased its holdings 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 worth $94,588,000 after purchasing an additional 35,414 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 179,925 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $44,348,000 after purchasing an additional 4,939 shares during the last quarter. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd lifted its holdings 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 valued at $63,185,000 after purchasing an additional 53,946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 61.5% during the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 10,500 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,394,000 after buying an additional 4,000 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the president now owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on UNP. Benchmark boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $257.43.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $222.18 on Tuesday. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $204.66 and a fifty-two week 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. The company has a market capitalization of $133.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a fifty day moving average of $237.03 and a 200 day moving average of $237.08.

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, 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 last year, the business earned $2.71 earnings per share. On average, sell-side 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

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.