Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Purchased by B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 140,390 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 6,864 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $32,015,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in Union Pacific by 111.5% in 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 last quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen upped their price target on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Benchmark raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $261.95.

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Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the business's 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the president now owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded up $1.17 on Wednesday, reaching $238.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,023,200 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,429,422. The company has a market capitalization of $142.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.49, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $218.55 and a 52-week high of $258.07. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $243.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $239.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 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 in the previous year, the firm earned $2.71 EPS. Analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.33%.

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.