Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC Increases Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 49.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,776 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,248 shares during the period. Roberts Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $872,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 272.3% during the second 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 stake 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. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 9.3% during 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 purchasing an additional 625,492 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 520,536 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 464,477 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $236.73 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $143.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a fifty day moving average of $233.67 and a 200-day moving average of $239.10. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $218.55 and a 52-week high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. The company had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.14 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.51 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.96 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 49.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. StockNews.com cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI downgraded Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $254.00 to $247.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $262.00 to $253.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.35.

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.