Guggenheim Capital LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Guggenheim Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 202,179 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 9,725 shares during the quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $46,105,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. EnRich Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. PrairieView Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNP has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $260.00 to $244.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 target price on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $257.43.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE UNP opened at $222.18 on Tuesday. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $204.66 and a one year 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 price-to-earnings ratio of 20.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $237.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $237.08.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 quarter last year, the business earned $2.71 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 value of $1,875,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.