25,541 Shares in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) Bought by Wills Financial Group LLC

Key Points

• Wills Financial Group LLC has invested approximately $6.03 million in Union Pacific Corporation, acquiring 25,541 shares that represent about 2.7% of its total holdings.
• Union Pacific recently reported earnings of $3.03 EPS, exceeding analyst expectations, and revealed a net margin of 28.43% for the quarter.
• The company is increasing its quarterly dividend to $1.38 per share, up from the previous $1.34, representing an annualized yield of 2.5%.

Wills Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 25,541 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $6,034,000. Union Pacific accounts for about 2.7% of Wills Financial Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 14.3% during 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 purchasing an additional 1,298,178 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 15.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,962,650 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,587,763,000 after acquiring an additional 920,414 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,594,882 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,503,899,000 after acquiring an additional 105,111 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Union Pacific by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,439,861 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,468,546,000 after acquiring an additional 285,401 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 35.2% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,968,658 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,133,053,000 after purchasing an additional 1,294,643 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Redburn Atlantic raised Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $259.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Barclays cut shares of Union Pacific from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $257.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $258.21.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of UNP stock traded up $0.06 on Friday, reaching $222.72. The company had a trading volume of 1,376,145 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,317,956. The stock has a market cap of $132.08 billion, a PE ratio of 19.38, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50-day moving average of $227.08 and a 200-day moving average of $230.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12 month low of $204.66 and a 12 month high of $258.07.

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

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This is a positive change from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Union Pacific's payout ratio is presently 47.96%.

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.