First Heartland Consultants Inc. Purchases Shares of 2,033 Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)

Key Points

• First Heartland Consultants Inc. acquired 2,033 shares of Union Pacific Corporation valued at approximately $480,000, highlighting increasing institutional interest in the stock.
• Recent analyst ratings have been positive, with Wells Fargo raising the target price to $260 and Bank of America to $262, while Jefferies upgraded the stock to a "buy" with a target of $285.
• Union Pacific announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.38 per share, representing an annual yield of 2.46%, marking a boost from the previous dividend of $1.34.

First Heartland Consultants Inc. bought a new position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,033 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $480,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 319.2% in the 4th quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 4,381 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $999,000 after buying an additional 3,336 shares in the last quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $305,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 35,139 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $8,013,000 after purchasing an additional 4,302 shares during the period. Providence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 10,507.9% during the 4th quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 25,459 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $5,806,000 after acquiring an additional 25,219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 7,152.9% in the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 5,077 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,158,000 after buying an additional 5,007 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. Stephens cut their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Union Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $250.00 to $285.00 in a report on Friday. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $238.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $263.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $259.46.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP stock traded up $4.55 on Monday, hitting $229.29. The company had a trading volume of 6,858,377 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,162,405. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $227.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $231.02. The stock has a market cap of $137.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12-month low of $204.66 and a 12-month high of $258.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.09 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%. The company's revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.74 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.41%. This is an increase from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.57%.

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.