Oak Thistle LLC Invests $574,000 in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 2,333 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $574,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,832,127,000. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,851,767 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,682,931,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285,144 shares during the period. Winslow Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth approximately $293,162,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 65.5% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,348,496 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $478,224,000 after purchasing an additional 929,495 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 331.7% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 1,143,298 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $280,817,000 after acquiring an additional 878,490 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP traded down $1.40 during trading on Monday, reaching $224.86. 1,697,331 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,310,302. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $199.33 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The stock has a market cap of $137.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.46, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $233.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $240.32. 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 (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.67 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $248.00 to $267.00 in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. StockNews.com lowered Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.92.

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.