National Pension Service Purchases 17,629 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

National Pension Service increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 938,885 shares of the railroad operator's stock after buying an additional 17,629 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned about 0.15% of Union Pacific worth $230,609,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, AJOVista LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $100,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on UNP shares. Morgan Stanley increased 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. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $252.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $259.61.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP stock traded up $0.71 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $246.61. 1,765,130 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,281,717. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $190.71 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The company has a market cap of $150.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.53, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.06. The company's 50 day moving average price is $242.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $236.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.93.

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

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.62%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

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.