Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Purchases 4,109 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 8.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 52,602 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 4,109 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $11,995,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Red Mountain Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC now owns 2,276 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $561,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its stake in Union Pacific by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 213 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Pflug Koory LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 8,569 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,954,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,409 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Regatta Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 1,672 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $381,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE UNP opened at $242.12 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.63. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $218.55 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $146.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.83, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.06. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $235.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $240.17.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on UNP. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $261.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.