Woodline Partners LP Acquires 34,658 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Woodline Partners LP raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 75.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 80,349 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 34,658 shares during the quarter. Woodline Partners LP's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $18,323,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 12.6% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $2,370,559,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298,178 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,927,377,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 363,937 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 920,414 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP traded up $2.40 on Tuesday, reaching $224.51. The company had a trading volume of 697,403 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,974,133. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week 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. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $222.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $233.13. The company has a market cap of $134.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07.

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

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Union Pacific's payout ratio is currently 48.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UNP shares. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $259.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $257.50.

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.