Heck Capital Advisors LLC Purchases Shares of 12,759 Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 12,759 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $2,910,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Union Pacific by 265.7% in the 3rd quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 128 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on UNP shares. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Benchmark boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Barclays raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $263.30.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $247.85 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $235.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $240.08. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The company has a market cap of $150.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.35, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 previous year, the company earned $2.71 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 12.03 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 48.33%.

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.