Little House Capital LLC Increases Stake in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Little House Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 53.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,636 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 3,348 shares during the quarter. Little House Capital LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,229,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Union Pacific by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,329,262 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $13,724,045,000 after buying an additional 659,378 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in Union Pacific by 193.3% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 10,481,043 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,477,404,000 after buying an additional 6,908,016 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in Union Pacific by 72.7% during the 3rd 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 buying an additional 3,861,636 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in Union Pacific by 95.0% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 8,713,196 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,059,538,000 after buying an additional 4,244,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Union Pacific by 18.9% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,164,334 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,693,434,000 after buying an additional 1,139,926 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP opened at $271.30 on Wednesday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $210.84 and a 1-year high of $276.40. The stock has a market cap of $161.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.99. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $252.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $243.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.07. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.The firm had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.70 EPS. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.47%.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total value of $7,442,691.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 61,102 shares in the company, valued at $16,605,079.52. This represents a 30.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 31,386 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,716 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on UNP. Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 price target on Union Pacific and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $307.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Benchmark raised their price target on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $285.00 price target (up from $278.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.47.

About Union Pacific

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.