Nicholas Company Inc. Buys 4,116 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Nicholas Company Inc. grew its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 15.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 30,381 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,116 shares during the quarter. Nicholas Company Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $6,928,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 111.5% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 129 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Union Pacific during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, PrairieView Partners LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP opened at $237.71 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $242.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $240.71. The stock has a market cap of $143.65 billion, a PE ratio of 21.43, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $218.55 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.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results 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 net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.71 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.25%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available 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 directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Loop Capital cut Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $263.00.

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.