Farringdon Capital Ltd. Takes Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Farringdon Capital Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,262 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $744,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,282,305,000 after buying an additional 1,616,895 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $1,927,377,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Union Pacific by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,686,387 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,752,804,000 after acquiring an additional 363,937 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,439,861 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,468,546,000 after acquiring an additional 285,401 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,305,684 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,437,948,000 after acquiring an additional 20,099 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on UNP shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group dropped their target price on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup raised shares of Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $244.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $257.50.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $216.68 on Thursday. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week high of $258.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The firm has a market cap of $129.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.54, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $236.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $236.83.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS 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 period in the prior year, the company posted $2.71 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.47%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

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.