Gray Wealth Management Inc. Buys New Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Gray Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 952 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $234,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UNP. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 90,390.6% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,697,556 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,836,353,000 after purchasing an additional 13,682,419 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its position in Union Pacific by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,983,932 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,860,303,000 after purchasing an additional 883,963 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,261,449 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,478,649,000 after buying an additional 19,145 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,803,796 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,385,457,000 after buying an additional 285,988 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,276,498,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP stock traded up $0.58 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $229.81. 1,570,166 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,303,281. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $246.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $233.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.67. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $190.37 and a 52-week high of $258.66. The company has a market capitalization of $140.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.67 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 49.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on UNP. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.48.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.