Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Acquired by ARS Investment Partners LLC

ARS Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,681 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the quarter. ARS Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $839,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 265.7% in the 3rd quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 128 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.35.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $233.99 on Tuesday. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $218.55 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $233.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $239.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $141.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.49, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.78 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. The company had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.14 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.51 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.22%.

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.