Interval Partners LP Buys Shares of 483,082 Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Interval Partners LP purchased a new position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 483,082 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $110,162,000. Union Pacific accounts for approximately 2.2% of Interval Partners LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 12.6% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,616,895 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,370,559,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298,178 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,927,377,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Union Pacific by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,686,387 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,752,804,000 after purchasing an additional 363,937 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,962,650 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,587,763,000 after buying an additional 920,414 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. 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 report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Guggenheim upped their price target on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $259.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $257.86.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $216.20 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $129.17 billion, a PE ratio of 19.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $204.66 and a 1 year high of $258.07. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $225.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $233.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.73 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.11 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.69 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 48.29%.

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.