Union Pacific Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:UNP)

Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors purchased 9,004 call options on the company. This is an increase of 84% compared to the average daily volume of 4,901 call options.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly 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 can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Union Pacific

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BluePath Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 211.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. Benchmark upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $255.00.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE UNP traded up $10.24 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $242.22. The stock had a trading volume of 1,979,537 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,309,260. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $244.48 and its 200 day moving average is $234.62. Union Pacific has a twelve month low of $190.37 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $147.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.18, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 46.87% and a net margin of 26.45%. The business had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.67 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific will post 11.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.71%.

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.