MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. Boosts Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,021,923 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 54,757 shares during the quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $233,039,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EnRich Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. PrairieView Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 38.8% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $216.20 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $225.66 and a 200-day moving average of $233.76. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week high of $258.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $129.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.73 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.69 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.48%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Benchmark boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Loop Capital cut shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $259.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $257.86.

Union Pacific 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.