Fifth Third Bancorp Decreases Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Fifth Third Bancorp reduced its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 611,224 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,015 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $139,384,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 103.1% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 35,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $8,770,000 after purchasing an additional 18,060 shares in the last quarter. Shellback Capital LP lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 28.2% in the second quarter. Shellback Capital LP now owns 20,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,525,000 after buying an additional 4,400 shares in the last quarter. Peoples Bank KS acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the third quarter worth about $834,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 179,925 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $44,348,000 after acquiring an additional 4,939 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maj Invest Holding A S raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Maj Invest Holding A S now owns 676,098 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $166,645,000 after acquiring an additional 2,202 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $248.94 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.77. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $218.55 and a one year high of $258.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $150.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.86, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.06. The company’s fifty day moving average is $233.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $239.22.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.71 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on UNP. 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 report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $277.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.57.

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.