Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Acquired by Essex Savings Bank

Essex Savings Bank boosted its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,215 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Essex Savings Bank’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,645,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. One Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the second quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 6.0% in the second quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,637 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $597,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 0.8% during the second quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,952 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,836,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 88,347 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $19,989,000 after buying an additional 3,084 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 12.8% in the 2nd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 29,550 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,686,000 after buying an additional 3,345 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE:UNP opened at $231.00 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $140.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $218.55 and a one year high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.77. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $234.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $238.87.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.78 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.51 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 49.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on UNP. Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com lowered Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Raymond James boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued 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 $259.80.

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.