Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd. Acquires 32,863 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 512.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,281 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 32,863 shares during the period. Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd.'s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $9,858,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of UNP. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $3,282,305,000 after buying an additional 1,616,895 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,370,559,000 after acquiring an additional 1,298,178 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,927,377,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,686,387 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,752,804,000 after purchasing an additional 363,937 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Union Pacific by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,962,650 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,587,763,000 after purchasing an additional 920,414 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on UNP shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Raymond James reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $259.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $257.50.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock traded down $1.15 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $228.35. The company had a trading volume of 1,982,810 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,647,089. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $223.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $233.63. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $204.66 and a one year high of $258.07. The firm has a market cap of $136.43 billion, a PE ratio of 20.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its 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). The company had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.11 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.69 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.29%.

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.