Evoke Wealth LLC Has $2.21 Million Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Evoke Wealth LLC increased its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 9,668 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Evoke Wealth LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,205,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,788,337 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $6,109,829,000 after buying an additional 217,780 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,813,686 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,146,451,000 after acquiring an additional 182,620 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 9.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,795,993,000 after purchasing an additional 625,492 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,305,684 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,437,948,000 after purchasing an additional 20,099 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,020,107 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,237,356,000 after purchasing an additional 31,899 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price objective for the company. Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $285.00 price target (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $263.00.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP opened at $238.02 on Tuesday. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $218.55 and a 1 year high of $258.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $143.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $242.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $240.52.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.71 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is 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.