Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Buys 78,345 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 27.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 362,934 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 78,345 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $83,954,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors boosted its position in Union Pacific by 193.3% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 10,481,043 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,477,404,000 after purchasing an additional 6,908,016 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 72.7% in the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,177,002 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,169,168,000 after purchasing an additional 3,861,636 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 95.0% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 8,713,196 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,059,538,000 after buying an additional 4,244,226 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 18.9% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,164,334 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,693,434,000 after buying an additional 1,139,926 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,881,628 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,626,610,000 after buying an additional 210,184 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total transaction of $469,625.07. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP opened at $251.28 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $149.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $251.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $237.53. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52-week low of $206.63 and a 52-week high of $268.14.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The railroad operator reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.92 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.15 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 40.89% and a net margin of 29.12%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.91 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 46.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UNP. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Evercore raised shares of Union Pacific from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $262.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $275.00 price target (up from $260.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 price objective on Union Pacific and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $267.48.

Union Pacific Company Profile

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) is one of the largest freight railroad companies in the United States. Its principal operating subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad, has roots that trace back to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and the construction of the first transcontinental rail link completed in 1869. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, and operates as a holding company for rail transportation and related services.

Union Pacific’s core business is the movement of freight by rail across an extensive rail network serving the western two‑thirds of the United States.