Scharf Investments LLC Has $148.97 Million Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Scharf Investments LLC increased its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 606,512 shares of the railroad operator's stock after buying an additional 33,811 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific accounts for approximately 4.1% of Scharf Investments LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Scharf Investments LLC owned approximately 0.10% of Union Pacific worth $148,972,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BluePath Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, IMA Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.36% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.7 %

UNP traded up $1.80 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $248.11. 3,197,361 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,383,301. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $246.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $229.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $151.29 billion, a PE ratio of 23.72, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $183.69 and a 52-week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 46.87% and a net margin of 26.45%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.67 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th will be given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific's payout ratio is 49.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on UNP. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $239.00 to $237.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group upped their target price on Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Union Pacific from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $280.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Union Pacific from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $249.67.

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.

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