SBI Securities Co. Ltd. Invests $679,000 in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 2,977 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $679,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 111.5% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 129 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the firm’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 value of $1,875,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on UNP. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Loop Capital cut shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $261.40.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $245.50 on Tuesday. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $218.55 and a 1 year high of $258.07. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $239.83 and its 200-day moving average is $240.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $148.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.14, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 quarter last year, the business earned $2.71 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio 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.