Oxler Private Wealth LLC Takes $1.18 Million Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Oxler Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 4,797 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,180,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 1,788.3% during the 3rd quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 15,635 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $3,184,000 after purchasing an additional 14,807 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,594 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $936,000 after buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Duality Advisers LP acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth $1,582,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 27.8% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,402 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $693,000 after buying an additional 740 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 12,765 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,599,000 after buying an additional 1,081 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on UNP shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Raymond James restated a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $280.00 target price (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 26th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $280.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $259.61.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP traded down $8.67 on Tuesday, hitting $234.96. The stock had a trading volume of 2,960,836 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,232,926. The company's 50-day moving average is $241.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $239.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The stock has a market cap of $143.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $190.71 and a one year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The business's revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.67 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is presently 49.62%.

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.

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