LPL Financial LLC Buys 51,011 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)

Key Points

• LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation by 4.5% in the first quarter, bringing their total ownership to approximately 1.17 million shares valued at $276.65 million.
• Union Pacific announced a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, an increase from the previous dividend, with a yield of 2.46%.
• Recent research reports show a mix of ratings for UNP, with analysts generally maintaining a Moderate Buy outlook and an average price target of $259.46.

LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 4.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,173,009 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 51,011 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC owned about 0.20% of Union Pacific worth $276,650,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UNP. Allred Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Allred Capital Management LLC now owns 8,349 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,904,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 38.8% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 2,922 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $666,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. First Financial Bank Trust Division boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.7% in the first quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 2,803 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $662,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Stiles Financial Services Inc boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.6% in the first quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 2,963 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $700,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $250.00 price target (down from $270.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $250.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Friday, July 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $258.21.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE UNP traded down $2.89 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $222.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,542,443 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,303,342. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $227.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $230.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1 year low of $204.66 and a 1 year high of $258.07. The company has a market capitalization of $131.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.31, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.73% and a net margin of 28.43%. The company had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.74 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS 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 issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.48%. This is a boost from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is 46.57%.

About Union Pacific

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.