Naviter Wealth LLC Grows Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Naviter Wealth LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 24.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,491 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 896 shares during the quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,103,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,409 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $694,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Avestar Capital LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the third quarter valued at about $294,000. Brookstone Capital Management grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 15,498 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,260,000 after acquiring an additional 2,007 shares during the period. RMR Wealth Builders increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 55.8% during the 3rd quarter. RMR Wealth Builders now owns 5,740 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,169,000 after purchasing an additional 2,056 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Foresight Global Investors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,539,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on UNP shares. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Union Pacific from $252.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $280.00 price target (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.78.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $240.95 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $244.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $235.56. The stock has a market cap of $147.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.99, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $190.71 and a twelve month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 49.62%.

About Union Pacific

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.