Meridian Wealth Management LLC Grows Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Meridian Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,006 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $4,334,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp grew its position 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 worth $6,109,829,000 after buying an additional 217,780 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,813,686 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,146,451,000 after acquiring an additional 182,620 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 9.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,795,993,000 after acquiring an additional 625,492 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,305,684 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,437,948,000 after purchasing an additional 20,099 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UNP. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $285.00 price target (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned 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 stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $261.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $246.94 on Monday. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $218.55 and a one year high of $258.07. The business has a fifty day moving average of $239.46 and a 200 day moving average of $240.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.27, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

About Union Pacific

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.