Avestar Capital LLC Raises Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Avestar Capital LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 9.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,101 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the quarter. Avestar Capital LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $764,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 272.3% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $379,689,000 after acquiring an additional 1,227,318 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 19,878.6% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 896,040 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $220,856,000 after purchasing an additional 891,555 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 2,025.4% in the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $134,636,000 after buying an additional 520,536 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 170.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 736,246 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $181,470,000 after buying an additional 464,477 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 186.4% in the second quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 704,769 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $159,461,000 after acquiring an additional 458,664 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on 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. dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America cut their price target on Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Daiwa America cut Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.80.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $245.63 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $240.31 and its 200 day moving average is $238.46. The stock has a market cap of $148.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $218.55 and a 52-week high of $258.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.51 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 EPS for the current year.

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.