ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,430 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,010,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the second quarter worth $28,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 265.7% in the 3rd quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 128 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the third quarter worth about $32,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $231.00 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $234.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $238.87. The company has a market capitalization of $140.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.21, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.78 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.51 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.95 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 20th. Bank of America lowered 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $262.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s 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 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.