Richwood Investment Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Richwood Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 10.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,135 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the period. Richwood Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $487,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 111.5% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 129 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $233.79 on Friday. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $218.55 and a fifty-two week high of $258.07. The company has a market cap of $141.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.08, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $242.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $240.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.71 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.29%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Benchmark boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Loop Capital downgraded Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $263.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.