Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Acquired by National Bank of Canada FI

National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 47.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 419,509 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 135,544 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI owned about 0.07% of Union Pacific worth $103,400,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 272.3% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $379,689,000 after acquiring an additional 1,227,318 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 19,878.6% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 896,040 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $220,856,000 after purchasing an additional 891,555 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its stake in Union Pacific by 2,025.4% during the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $134,636,000 after purchasing an additional 520,536 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 170.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 736,246 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $181,470,000 after purchasing an additional 464,477 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 186.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 704,769 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $159,461,000 after buying an additional 458,664 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on UNP shares. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $266.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $252.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com cut shares of Union Pacific from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $259.80.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded down $1.06 on Friday, hitting $233.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,585,152 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,469,402. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $239.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $238.29. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $218.55 and a 52-week high of $258.66. The company has a market capitalization of $141.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.78 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.51 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific's payout ratio is 49.22%.

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.