Wealth Group Ltd Acquires Shares of 1,290 Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Wealth Group Ltd bought a new position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,290 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $322,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of UNP. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,261,449 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,478,649,000 after buying an additional 19,145 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,803,796 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,385,457,000 after purchasing an additional 285,988 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,867,842 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,441,260,000 after purchasing an additional 125,522 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 62.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,496,708 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,119,295,000 after buying an additional 2,119,382 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 18.8% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,003,423 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,018,847,000 after acquiring an additional 792,896 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $280.00 price objective (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.61.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company’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 directly owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock traded up $1.62 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $246.56. 1,769,233 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,245,720. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $190.71 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $241.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $238.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $150.43 billion, a PE ratio of 23.48, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The company’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.67 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.24 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 49.62%.

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.