Fred Alger Management LLC Purchases 6,121 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Fred Alger Management LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 31.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,313 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,121 shares during the period. Fred Alger Management LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $5,772,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Allred Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Allred Capital Management LLC now owns 8,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,904,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Palogic Value Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. now owns 2,823 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its stake in Union Pacific by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 213 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Pflug Koory LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 8,569 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,954,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Baron Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,409 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on UNP shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective 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. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $230.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $259.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Benchmark increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $257.86.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $216.20 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $225.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $233.79. The stock has a market cap of $129.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.50, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week high of $258.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.73 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.11 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.69 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 48.29%.

About Union Pacific

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.