CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. Acquires Shares of 1,800 Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. acquired a new stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,800 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $442,000. Union Pacific comprises 0.9% of CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. MAS Advisors LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at $233,000. Roundview Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 16,608 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,537,000 after purchasing an additional 614 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at $569,000. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 47,144 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $12,880,000 after buying an additional 1,664 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 10.1% during the 1st quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,745 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $477,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company’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 sale, the president now owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on UNP. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. 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 research note on Monday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.48.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP traded down $0.88 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $233.52. The stock had a trading volume of 1,498,851 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,309,579. The firm has a market cap of $142.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.41, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $190.37 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The business has a fifty day moving average of $247.04 and a 200 day moving average of $233.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The business had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio 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.