New Vernon Investment Management LLC Acquires 43,118 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

New Vernon Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 1,444.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 46,103 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 43,118 shares during the period. Union Pacific makes up 6.3% of New Vernon Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. New Vernon Investment Management LLC's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $10,513,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth $1,927,377,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,035,905,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $3,282,305,000 after acquiring an additional 1,616,895 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $2,370,559,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298,178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 74.7% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,146,990 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $489,600,000 after buying an additional 918,248 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the subject of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup raised shares of Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $244.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $258.00.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Union Pacific stock traded down $2.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $213.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,454,850 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,565,721. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $231.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $235.64. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $204.66 and a twelve month high of $258.07. The firm has a market cap of $127.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.24, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.79 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion during 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific's payout ratio is 48.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.