Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC Acquires New Shares in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,143,165 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $273,361,000. Union Pacific accounts for 1.8% of Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.19% of Union Pacific at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Chapman Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $265,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Union Pacific by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,922,949 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $438,509,000 after purchasing an additional 24,083 shares in the last quarter. Banque de Luxembourg S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at about $146,000. Bayesian Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 278.8% during the 4th quarter. Bayesian Capital Management LP now owns 39,390 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $8,982,000 after purchasing an additional 28,990 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 27,569 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $6,292,000 after buying an additional 2,040 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on UNP. Citigroup raised Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $260.00 to $244.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays lowered their target price on Union Pacific from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Redburn Atlantic raised 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. Raymond James restated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $257.86.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP traded down $0.64 during trading on Friday, hitting $216.20. 2,172,909 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,612,947. The firm has a market cap of $129.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07. 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 Co. has a one year low of $204.66 and a one year high of $258.07. The stock's fifty day moving average is $225.66 and its 200 day moving average is $233.73.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.73 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.48%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is presently 48.29%.

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.