BWM Planning LLC Takes $207,000 Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

BWM Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 839 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Barden Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Union Pacific by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Barden Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,948 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,215,000 after acquiring an additional 529 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Union Pacific by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,738,841 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $427,094,000 after acquiring an additional 155,111 shares in the last quarter. Bain Capital Public Equity LP acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,505,000. Bain Capital Public Equity Management II LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $87,888,000. Finally, Harbert Fund Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $774,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP traded up $2.52 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $241.34. 252,606 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,268,840. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $199.97 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $245.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $238.62.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.57 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,014,787.55. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on UNP shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Susquehanna increased their target price on Union Pacific from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Barclays reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.50.

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.