Phoenix Financial Ltd. Buys 14,219 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Phoenix Financial Ltd. increased its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 77.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,553 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 14,219 shares during the quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd.'s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $7,423,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Howard Capital Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 16.4% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 2,860 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $705,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. Vestcor Inc increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 15,281 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $3,766,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 28.6% in the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,771 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $3,635,000 after acquiring an additional 3,286 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 4,418 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 0.6% during the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 19,642 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $4,841,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on UNP. 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 price objective for the company. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $255.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $230.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Citigroup raised Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $244.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Raymond James dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $285.00 to $260.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $257.43.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP stock traded down $0.78 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $221.49. 942,221 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,516,297. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The stock has a market cap of $132.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $204.66 and a one year high of $258.07. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $237.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $237.08.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 prior year, the company posted $2.71 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio 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.