Whittier Trust Co. Buys 1,251 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Whittier Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,076 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 1,251 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.'s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $7,543,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,035,905,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 918,248 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Union Pacific by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,795,993,000 after acquiring an additional 625,492 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 33,228.4% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 504,258 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $114,991,000 after purchasing an additional 502,745 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 35.8% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,226,100 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $279,600,000 after purchasing an additional 323,525 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $285.00 target price (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $263.00.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE UNP traded up $0.70 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $235.90. The company had a trading volume of 1,849,031 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,306,823. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $242.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $239.83. The company has a market capitalization of $142.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.27, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.71 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. Union Pacific's payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the president now owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Company 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.