Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. Invests $629,000 in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 2,560 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $629,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $737,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,394 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $342,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC now owns 2,393 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $588,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 5,573 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,369,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, West Paces Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 1,886 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $463,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now 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 the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of UNP traded up $2.27 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $232.08. 2,946,614 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,312,077. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $190.37 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.81. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $245.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $141.59 billion, a PE ratio of 22.19, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.67 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Raymond James upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Benchmark upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on Union Pacific from $228.00 to $251.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.48.

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.