MJP Associates Inc. ADV Takes Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

MJP Associates Inc. ADV purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,362 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $335,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Personal CFO Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 39.3% during the 3rd quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,407 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $287,000 after acquiring an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 46.9% during the 4th 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. Advisor Resource Council purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $606,000. EPG Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. EPG Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,405 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $490,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Columbia Trust Co 01012016 grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 9.6% during the fourth quarter. Columbia Trust Co 01012016 now owns 3,577 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $879,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNP has been the subject of several research reports. Susquehanna increased their price target on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $239.00 to $237.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Finally, Raymond James upped their target price on Union Pacific from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $251.33.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.5 %

UNP stock traded up $1.30 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $245.93. The stock had a trading volume of 2,262,038 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,350,556. The business has a 50-day moving average of $247.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $230.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $149.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $190.37 and a 52-week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.67 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 49.71%.

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.