EP Wealth Advisors LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific Corporation by 3.3%, acquiring an additional 7,263 shares to hold a total of 228,764 shares valued at approximately $54 million.
• Union Pacific recently raised its dividend to $1.38 per share, indicating a positive change from the previous dividend of $1.34, which reflects a yield of 2.5%.
• Analysts have mixed views on Union Pacific's stock, with ratings varying from "Strong Buy" to "Sell", and the consensus price target currently stands at $258.21.

EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 3.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 228,764 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 7,263 shares during the quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $54,043,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 103.5% in the first quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the first quarter worth about $32,000. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the first quarter worth about $33,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 50.5% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 167 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IMA Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Argus lowered Union Pacific from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $238.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $263.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $257.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $258.21.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP traded down $2.72 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $220.34. The stock had a trading volume of 4,001,761 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,119,977. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1 year low of $204.66 and a 1 year high of $256.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $226.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $227.09. The company has a market capitalization of $130.67 billion, a PE ratio of 19.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.03.

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

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is a boost 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 47.96%.

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.