Kesler Norman & Wride LLC Has $5.98 Million Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 6.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,201 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,640 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific makes up about 1.3% of Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $5,975,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UNP. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,788,337 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $6,109,829,000 after buying an additional 217,780 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,282,305,000 after purchasing an additional 1,616,895 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,927,377,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,686,387 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,752,804,000 after purchasing an additional 363,937 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,305,684 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,437,948,000 after purchasing an additional 20,099 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Loop Capital downgraded Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 target price for the company. Benchmark lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given 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 has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.76.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE UNP opened at $237.11 on Wednesday. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $218.55 and a 1-year high of $258.07. The company has a market capitalization of $142.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $243.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $239.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business earned $2.71 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Company Profile

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.