Patten & Patten Inc. TN Acquires 137 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Patten & Patten Inc. TN lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 6,742 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the quarter. Patten & Patten Inc. TN’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,537,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 111.5% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 129 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, PrairieView Partners LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the subject of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Benchmark boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price target (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.00.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Union Pacific stock opened at $237.71 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $218.55 and a 52 week high of $258.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $143.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $242.05 and a 200-day moving average of $240.62.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.71 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

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.