New Hampshire Trust Boosts Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

New Hampshire Trust raised its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,532 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. New Hampshire Trust’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $4,226,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNP. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 272.3% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $379,689,000 after buying an additional 1,227,318 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position 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 worth $220,856,000 after acquiring an additional 891,555 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 9.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,795,993,000 after acquiring an additional 625,492 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2,025.4% during the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $134,636,000 after purchasing an additional 520,536 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 170.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 736,246 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $181,470,000 after purchasing an additional 464,477 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $233.99 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $233.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $239.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $141.86 billion, a PE ratio of 21.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.63. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $218.55 and a 12 month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly 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). Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. The business had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.14 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.51 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on Union Pacific from $277.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $252.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.35.

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.