Sweeney & Michel LLC Purchases Shares of 2,650 Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Sweeney & Michel LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 2,650 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $626,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. QV Investors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 6.4% during the first quarter. QV Investors Inc. now owns 53,651 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $12,675,000 after buying an additional 3,210 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 103,927.6% in the first quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 30,168 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $7,127,000 after purchasing an additional 30,139 shares during the period. West Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1,419.1% in the first quarter. West Financial Advisors LLC now owns 714 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $169,000 after purchasing an additional 667 shares during the period. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.9% in the first quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,283 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,012,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Finally, American National Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 15.0% in the first quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 50,206 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $11,861,000 after purchasing an additional 6,547 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $220.88. 662,999 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,665,909. The stock has a market capitalization of $131.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $204.66 and a 12-month high of $258.07. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $220.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $232.39.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.11 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. Union Pacific's quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.69 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. Union Pacific's payout ratio is 48.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on UNP. Stephens lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Argus upgraded Union Pacific to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $257.74.

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.