Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Acquires 322 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,262 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 322 shares during the quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $3,709,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Red Mountain Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% during the third quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC now owns 2,276 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $561,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its position in Union Pacific by 26.8% during the 4th quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 213 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Pflug Koory LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 8,569 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,954,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,409 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Regatta Capital Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 1,672 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $381,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Loop Capital cut Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday. Barclays raised their price target 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. Finally, Benchmark upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $261.40.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP opened at $243.61 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $147.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.97, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $235.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $240.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.71 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 12.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Union Pacific 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.