Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC Has $2.58 Million Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,328 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,583,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Union Pacific by 272.3% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $379,689,000 after buying an additional 1,227,318 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 19,878.6% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 896,040 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $220,856,000 after acquiring an additional 891,555 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 9.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,795,993,000 after purchasing an additional 625,492 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2,025.4% in the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $134,636,000 after purchasing an additional 520,536 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC grew its position in Union Pacific by 170.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 736,246 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $181,470,000 after purchasing an additional 464,477 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNP has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $277.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $259.80.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of UNP stock opened at $229.25 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The firm has a market cap of $138.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.05, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a 50 day moving average of $234.49 and a 200-day moving average of $238.87. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.78 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.51 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.22%.

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.