Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Increases Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. increased its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 130.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 129,566 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 73,225 shares during the quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $31,824,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 48.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 309 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $252.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.78.

Union Pacific Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded down $2.92 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $238.03. 461,847 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,303,122. The company has a market cap of $145.23 billion, a PE ratio of 22.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $244.15 and a 200-day moving average of $235.56. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $190.71 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.67 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.62%.

Insider Activity

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.