Colonial Trust Co SC Grows Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,931 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 1,287 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific comprises 1.0% of Colonial Trust Co SC's holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Colonial Trust Co SC's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $6,825,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in 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 valued at $3,282,305,000 after purchasing an additional 1,616,895 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $2,370,559,000 after acquiring an additional 1,298,178 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at $1,927,377,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Union Pacific by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,686,387 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,752,804,000 after buying an additional 363,937 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,962,650 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,587,763,000 after purchasing an additional 920,414 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on UNP. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Redburn Atlantic raised Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $259.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Loop Capital cut Union Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $257.86.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP traded down $0.64 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $216.20. 2,172,909 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,607,691. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $204.66 and a one year high of $258.07. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $225.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $233.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The stock has a market cap of $129.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.50, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.73 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.11 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. Union Pacific's revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 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, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Union Pacific's payout ratio is 48.29%.

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.