BankPlus Trust Department Buys New Shares in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 650 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $148,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its position in Union Pacific by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 213 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Pflug Koory LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 8,569 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,954,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Baron Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,409 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Regatta Capital Group LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 1,672 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $381,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, True Link Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. True Link Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,016 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $990,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP stock opened at $242.39 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $237.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $240.74. The stock has a market cap of $146.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $218.55 and a 1 year high of $258.66. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (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 period in the previous year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on UNP shares. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Loop Capital cut shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $261.40.

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.