Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Acquires New Shares in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,902 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $662,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,616,895 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth $1,927,377,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position 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 valued at $1,752,804,000 after purchasing an additional 363,937 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Union Pacific by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,439,861 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,468,546,000 after purchasing an additional 285,401 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% during 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 buying an additional 20,099 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Raymond James reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $259.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $257.50.

Union Pacific Trading Down 1.5 %

UNP stock opened at $216.68 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week high of $258.07. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $236.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $236.83. 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.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 previous year, the company posted $2.71 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.47%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Union Pacific Company 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.