Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Purchased by Gotham Asset Management LLC

Gotham Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 98.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 55,077 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 27,263 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $12,560,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,282,305,000 after purchasing an additional 1,616,895 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,370,559,000 after buying an additional 1,298,178 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,927,377,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted 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 buying an additional 363,937 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,962,650 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,587,763,000 after buying an additional 920,414 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $216.20 on Monday. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week high of $258.07. The company has a 50 day moving average of $225.66 and a 200 day moving average of $233.76. 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 company has a market capitalization of $129.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.73 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.48%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on UNP. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup upgraded Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $244.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $257.86.

About Union Pacific

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.