Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Stake Lifted by Fifth Third Bancorp

Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 7.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 605,973 shares of the railroad operator's stock after buying an additional 44,342 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp owned approximately 0.10% of Union Pacific worth $149,027,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 10.1% during the first quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 28,446 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $6,996,000 after buying an additional 2,620 shares during the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 9.3% in the 1st quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 7,435 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,828,000 after acquiring an additional 632 shares during the period. Strategic Blueprint LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 9.3% during the 1st quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 1,991 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $490,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. KLR Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. KLR Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,011 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $706,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.4% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 1,226,710 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $301,685,000 after purchasing an additional 28,706 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded up $2.73 during trading on Thursday, hitting $237.69. The stock had a trading volume of 1,947,827 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,312,406. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The company has a market capitalization of $145.02 billion, a PE ratio of 22.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $190.71 and a 1 year high of $258.66. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $243.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $235.78.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The company's quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.67 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.19%. Union Pacific's payout ratio is presently 49.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on UNP. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Raymond James restated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $280.00 target price (up from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Benchmark lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $258.78.

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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