Myriad Asset Management US LP Buys New Shares in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Myriad Asset Management US LP bought a new stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 6,931 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,581,000. Union Pacific comprises about 1.1% of Myriad Asset Management US LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its stake in Union Pacific by 74.7% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 2,146,990 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $489,600,000 after purchasing an additional 918,248 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 19,878.6% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 896,040 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $220,856,000 after purchasing an additional 891,555 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Union Pacific by 9.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,795,993,000 after acquiring an additional 625,492 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its stake in Union Pacific by 2,025.4% during the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $134,636,000 after acquiring an additional 520,536 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 170.9% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 736,246 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $181,470,000 after acquiring an additional 464,477 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE:UNP opened at $249.27 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The business’s 50 day moving average is $236.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.44. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $218.55 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The company has a market cap of $151.12 billion, a PE ratio of 22.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.71 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 12.01 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $285.00 price target (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $261.40.

Union Pacific 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.