LRT Capital Management LLC Makes New $369,000 Investment in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

LRT Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 1,617 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $369,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,927,377,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at $1,035,905,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,282,305,000 after purchasing an additional 1,616,895 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,370,559,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298,178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $273,361,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.3%

Union Pacific stock opened at $216.20 on Monday. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $204.66 and a 1 year high of $258.07. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $225.66 and its 200-day moving average is $233.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $129.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.50, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.73 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.11 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. The business’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.69 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.48%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 48.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on UNP shares. Redburn Atlantic raised Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $259.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $260.00 to $244.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $257.86.

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.