Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Purchases 839 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 89,617 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 839 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific comprises 0.8% of Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $22,012,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sunburst Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC now owns 2,393 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $588,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Sunflower Bank N.A. raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 5,573 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,369,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Obsidian Personal Planning Solutions LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.9% during the third quarter. Obsidian Personal Planning Solutions LLC now owns 2,416 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $492,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 3.1% during the second quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 1,585 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $324,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 3.7% during the third quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas now owns 1,384 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $228.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $251.33.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.4 %

UNP stock opened at $241.55 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.67. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $190.37 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $247.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $231.57. The firm has a market cap of $147.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.09, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.71%.

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.