Reliant Investment Management LLC Makes New Investment in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Reliant Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 838 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Personal CFO Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,627 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Unigestion Holding SA boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 370.8% during the 4th quarter. Unigestion Holding SA now owns 9,045 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,222,000 after acquiring an additional 7,124 shares during the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 12,459 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,060,000 after acquiring an additional 588 shares during the period. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth approximately $675,000. Finally, Ethic Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 26.8% during the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 25,474 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,257,000 after purchasing an additional 5,379 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on UNP shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Daiwa America lowered Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Barclays lowered their target price on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Loop Capital cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.32.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $237.56 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $246.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $238.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $199.97 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $144.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.57 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 51.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

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.