Auxano Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 3,137 Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Auxano Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 3,137 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $771,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,261,449 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,478,649,000 after acquiring an additional 19,145 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,803,796 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,385,457,000 after purchasing an additional 285,988 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 62.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,496,708 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,119,295,000 after purchasing an additional 2,119,382 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,003,423 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,018,847,000 after buying an additional 792,896 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 108.9% during the third quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,128,575 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $840,702,000 after buying an additional 2,151,893 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $252.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.78.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP traded down $3.79 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $237.16. 1,732,413 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,317,996. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $244.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $235.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The firm has a market cap of $144.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.99, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $190.71 and a twelve month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The company’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.67 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.08 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 49.62%.

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.