Menard Financial Group LLC Invests $96,000 in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Menard Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 420 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $96,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 12.6% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,370,559,000 after buying an additional 1,298,178 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,927,377,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,686,387 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,752,804,000 after buying an additional 363,937 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,962,650 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,587,763,000 after buying an additional 920,414 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 target price on the stock. Loop Capital lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $260.00 to $244.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $257.50.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $222.18 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $222.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $233.13. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week high of $258.07. The firm has a market cap of $132.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.03, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.69 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.41%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 48.29%.

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.