Hartline Investment Corp Buys 725 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Hartline Investment Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,081 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 725 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific comprises approximately 0.8% of Hartline Investment Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Hartline Investment Corp’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $4,932,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UNP. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 21.7% during the fourth quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 958 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $235,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. Fountainhead AM LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $231,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $938,000. Ellenbecker Investment Group grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 18.7% during the fourth quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 1,844 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $453,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the period. Finally, Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,877 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $952,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP stock traded down $4.31 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $231.98. The company had a trading volume of 2,951,052 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,314,554. 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 stock’s 50-day moving average is $244.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $234.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $141.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $190.37 and a 52 week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.67 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 49.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $228.00 to $251.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $255.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Union Pacific

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.