Natixis Acquires 52,530 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Natixis boosted its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 179.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 81,882 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 52,530 shares during the quarter. Natixis' holdings in Union Pacific were worth $18,672,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. EnRich Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. PrairieView Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 38.8% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNP has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup raised 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 report on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $255.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $259.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $257.50.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP stock traded down $4.17 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $215.61. 5,205,085 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,567,781. The firm has a market capitalization of $129.22 billion, a PE ratio of 19.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a 50-day moving average of $233.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $235.99. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $204.66 and a 52 week high of $258.07. 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 (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.79 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.11 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. As a group, equities analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.49%. Union Pacific's payout ratio is 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 of the company's stock, valued at $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.