Harbert Fund Advisors Inc. Acquires 3,925 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Harbert Fund Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 127.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,000 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 3,925 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific comprises approximately 0.8% of Harbert Fund Advisors Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Harbert Fund Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,596,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Palogic Value Management L.P. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. now owns 2,823 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 26.8% during the 4th quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 213 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Pflug Koory LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 0.5% during 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 holdings in Union Pacific by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,409 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Mystic Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Union Pacific by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,309 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $527,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

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Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was 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 owns 26,319 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Benchmark upped their price target on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Raymond James lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $257.43.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE UNP traded down $2.27 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $220.01. The company had a trading volume of 2,806,101 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,523,387. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $237.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $237.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $131.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.84, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $204.66 and a 52 week high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 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 period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.71 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.