Arizona State Retirement System Purchases 1,410 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 176,347 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 1,410 shares during the quarter. Arizona State Retirement System's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $40,214,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 26.8% in the 4th quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 213 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Pflug Koory LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 8,569 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,954,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,409 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $321,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 1,672 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $381,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 1,786 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $407,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $241.43 on Wednesday. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $218.55 and a 1-year high of $258.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $145.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.77, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The company's 50-day moving average is $240.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 last year, the company posted $2.71 EPS. Analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.22%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the sale, 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 transaction 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 stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on UNP shares. Raymond James reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $285.00 price target (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $261.40.

About Union Pacific

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.

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