Syon Capital LLC Raises Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Syon Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 52.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,120 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,410 shares during the period. Syon Capital LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,012,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Meritage Portfolio Management bought a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth approximately $206,000. Lyell Wealth Management LP raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP now owns 34,455 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $8,463,000 after purchasing an additional 4,145 shares in the last quarter. Bailard Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 14,992 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,682,000 after buying an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 13,332 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,275,000 after purchasing an additional 567 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. raised its stake in Union Pacific by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 36,966 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $9,080,000 after buying an additional 429 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on UNP. UBS Group lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped 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, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $255.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Union Pacific Trading Up 5.0 %

NYSE UNP traded up $11.57 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $243.55. The company had a trading volume of 3,897,426 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,334,340. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $244.48 and a 200 day moving average of $234.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $190.37 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 46.87% and a net margin of 26.45%. The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.67 EPS. Union Pacific’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.71%.

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.