Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Acquired by Alta Advisers Ltd

Alta Advisers Ltd boosted its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 19.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,038 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 338 shares during the quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $465,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EnRich Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. PrairieView Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on UNP. Benchmark lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. UBS Group lowered 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. Citigroup raised Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $260.00 to $244.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $257.50.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $216.18 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $234.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $236.23. The stock has a market cap of $129.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.49, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $204.66 and a 12-month high of $258.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its 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 return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.71 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.48%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

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.