Ipsen Advisor Group LLC Takes Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Ipsen Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,221 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $507,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth $296,000. Florida Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $347,000. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 39,536 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $9,016,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. PKS Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $214,000. Finally, Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 3,015 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $687,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 target price for the company. Loop Capital cut shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $263.00.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $235.90 on Wednesday. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $218.55 and a 52 week high of $258.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The stock has a market cap of $142.55 billion, a PE ratio of 21.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $242.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $239.73.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, 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 owned by insiders.

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.