Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Stock Position Lifted by Tower Research Capital LLC TRC

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 67.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,615 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,941 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $6,753,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,282,305,000 after buying an additional 1,616,895 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,370,559,000 after acquiring an additional 1,298,178 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,927,377,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,686,387 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,752,804,000 after purchasing an additional 363,937 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,439,861 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,468,546,000 after purchasing an additional 285,401 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on UNP. Raymond James dropped their target price on Union Pacific from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Loop Capital lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group cut 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began 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. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $257.50.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP stock opened at $220.26 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $235.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $236.39. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $204.66 and a 52 week high of $258.07. The stock has a market cap of $132.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS 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 quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.71 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Company 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.