Whittier Trust Co. Buys 1,251 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Whittier Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 33,076 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,251 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $7,543,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. now owns 134,019 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $30,562,000 after acquiring an additional 9,989 shares during the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 39.0% during the fourth quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC now owns 1,662 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $379,000 after acquiring an additional 466 shares during the last quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth $220,000. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in Union Pacific by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 21,443 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,890,000 after purchasing an additional 525 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in Union Pacific by 38.3% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 372,696 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $84,990,000 after purchasing an additional 103,267 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.7 %

UNP stock opened at $234.67 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $141.81 billion, a PE ratio of 21.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $218.55 and a 12 month high of $258.07. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $242.51 and its 200 day moving average is $240.31. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 prior year, the firm posted $2.71 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 48.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the subject of several research reports. Benchmark increased 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. Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $285.00 price objective (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen increased their price objective 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.