EP Wealth Advisors LLC Increases Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 221,501 shares of the railroad operator's stock after buying an additional 5,630 shares during the quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $50,511,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,927,377,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,035,905,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $3,282,305,000 after purchasing an additional 1,616,895 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,370,559,000 after acquiring an additional 1,298,178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth about $273,361,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on UNP shares. TD Cowen raised their price target on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $257.86.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded down $0.64 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $216.20. 2,172,909 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,607,693. The company has a fifty day moving average of $225.66 and a 200-day moving average of $233.79. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week high of $258.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $129.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.73 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.29%.

Union Pacific Company 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.