Ritholtz Wealth Management Acquires 5,291 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 17.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 36,274 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 5,291 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $8,569,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fiduciary Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 102,213 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $23,309,000 after buying an additional 2,807 shares during the last quarter. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth approximately $781,000. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP bought a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,954,000. Miramar Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Miramar Capital LLC now owns 54,564 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $12,443,000 after acquiring an additional 1,648 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NTV Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. NTV Asset Management LLC now owns 1,635 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $373,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on UNP. Raymond James reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup raised Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $260.00 to $244.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Argus upgraded Union Pacific to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $230.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $257.74.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded up $1.22 during trading on Monday, reaching $224.59. 2,659,498 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,685,091. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week high of $258.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $220.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $231.45. The company has a market capitalization of $134.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.29%.

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.