Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Acquired by Invesco Ltd.

Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,439,861 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 285,401 shares during the quarter. Invesco Ltd.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,468,546,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 111.5% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 129 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on UNP. Benchmark lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $261.95.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 value of $1,636,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP opened at $212.86 on Monday. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $202.38 and a 1-year high of $258.07. The company has a market capitalization of $127.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $242.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $238.66. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.71 EPS. Research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 48.33%.

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.