Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. Invests $1.20 Million in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,884 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,199,000. Union Pacific accounts for about 1.1% of Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Centric Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Centric Wealth Management now owns 8,442 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,082,000 after acquiring an additional 524 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Union Pacific by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,407,185 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $836,873,000 after purchasing an additional 75,663 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 7,416 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,822,000 after purchasing an additional 1,104 shares in the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 44.5% in the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 39,747 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $9,763,000 after purchasing an additional 12,249 shares during the period. Finally, Lincoln National Corp lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 13,770 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,382,000 after buying an additional 1,165 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the subject of several recent research reports. Benchmark lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $280.00 price objective (up from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.61.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded up $3.52 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $245.90. 1,731,185 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,287,434. The company has a market cap of $150.03 billion, a PE ratio of 23.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.06. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $242.47 and a 200-day moving average of $236.79. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $190.71 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its 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 net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.67 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.11%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 49.62%.

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.