National Pension Service Has $230.61 Million Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

National Pension Service increased its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 938,885 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,629 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $230,609,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, AJOVista LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth approximately $100,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the firm’s 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 owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the subject of several recent research reports. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com raised shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.61.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE UNP traded up $0.39 on Thursday, hitting $246.29. 788,107 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,270,463. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $242.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $236.79. The company has a market cap of $150.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $190.71 and a 1-year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.67 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.21 EPS for the current year.

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.