Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC Grows Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 7.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31,059 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,259 shares during the quarter. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $7,083,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,788,337 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,109,829,000 after acquiring an additional 217,780 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,813,686 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,146,451,000 after purchasing an additional 182,620 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Union Pacific by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,795,993,000 after buying an additional 625,492 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.3% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,285,585 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,549,271,000 after acquiring an additional 143,896 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 0.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,020,107 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,237,356,000 after purchasing an additional 31,899 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on UNP shares. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Benchmark upped their target price on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $262.57.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $248.94 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The company has a market cap of $150.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.06. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $234.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $239.40. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $218.55 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.71 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.96 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.22%.

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.