Hancock Whitney Corp Acquires 3,397 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Hancock Whitney Corp raised its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 107.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,572 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 3,397 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,499,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EnRich Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. PrairieView Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 38.8% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UNP. Raymond James reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Stephens reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, fifteen have given 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 a consensus price target of $257.86.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP traded down $2.55 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $213.12. The company had a trading volume of 828,670 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,571,237. The firm has a market cap of $127.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.21, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a fifty day moving average of $229.73 and a 200-day moving average of $235.15. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $204.66 and a 12 month 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.73 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.03 billion during 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%. Union Pacific's revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.69 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is 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.