Quantbot Technologies LP Acquires New Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 17,631 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $4,336,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,832,127,000. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 23.1% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,285,144 shares during the period. Winslow Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth about $293,162,000. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 331.7% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 1,143,298 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $280,817,000 after purchasing an additional 878,490 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 20,736.8% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 803,677 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $197,399,000 after purchasing an additional 799,820 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UNP. Stifel Nicolaus raised Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $248.00 to $267.00 in a report on Friday, May 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Benchmark upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.63.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.6 %

UNP traded up $1.48 on Friday, reaching $230.20. 1,912,316 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,268,841. The company has a market cap of $140.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.82, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $231.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $239.30. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $199.33 and a 52-week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business 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 business posted $2.67 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st were given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 49.62%.

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.