Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Purchased by Itau Unibanco Holding S.A.

Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. raised its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 1,790.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,442 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 4,207 shares during the quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A.'s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,012,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. EnRich Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. PrairieView Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted 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 worth $39,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on UNP. Benchmark lifted their price objective on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Raymond James reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 25th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered Union Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $257.86.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP traded up $4.26 during trading on Friday, reaching $218.34. 2,926,803 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,592,748. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $204.66 and a 1 year high of $258.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $130.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $228.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $234.60.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its 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). The business had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.69 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific's payout ratio is currently 48.29%.

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.