Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Acquired by Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 267.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 124,030 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 90,270 shares during the period. Union Pacific comprises about 0.8% of Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $30,571,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.3% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 8,312,154 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,880,701,000 after buying an additional 106,996 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,285,585 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,549,271,000 after acquiring an additional 143,896 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,970,669 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,350,924,000 after purchasing an additional 124,571 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its position in Union Pacific by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,020,107 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,237,356,000 after purchasing an additional 31,899 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its stake in Union Pacific by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 4,218,730 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $954,530,000 after purchasing an additional 322,129 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 20th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.80.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP traded down $0.40 during trading on Thursday, reaching $245.23. The stock had a trading volume of 2,040,774 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,321,640. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $240.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $238.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $148.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $218.55 and a 52 week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.78 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.51 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.22%.

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.