Hancock Whitney Corp Grows Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Hancock Whitney Corp raised its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 107.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,572 shares of the railroad operator's stock after buying an additional 3,397 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,499,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. EnRich Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. PrairieView Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on UNP shares. Raymond James restated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday. Citigroup upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $260.00 to $244.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $257.86.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP traded down $0.76 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $212.53. 3,053,308 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,567,671. The stock has a market capitalization of $127.37 billion, a PE ratio of 19.16, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. 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 Co. has a 52 week low of $204.66 and a 52 week high of $258.07. The company's 50 day moving average price is $230.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $235.43.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.73 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.11 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.29%.

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.