2,560 Shares in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Acquired by Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc.

Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 2,560 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $629,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Personal CFO Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 39.3% during the third quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,407 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 46.9% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 87,905 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $21,596,000 after purchasing an additional 28,052 shares during the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 48.3% during the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 18,512 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,547,000 after purchasing an additional 6,031 shares during the last quarter. Advisor Resource Council acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $606,000. Finally, Factory Mutual Insurance Co. grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Factory Mutual Insurance Co. now owns 184,700 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $45,366,000 after purchasing an additional 19,600 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP traded up $2.27 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $232.08. 2,946,614 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,312,077. The firm has a market cap of $141.59 billion, a PE ratio of 22.19, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $245.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $233.73. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $190.37 and a 12 month 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.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $228.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.48.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was 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 directly owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.