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

Schechter Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 4,945 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,215,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Sunburst Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC now owns 2,393 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $588,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 5,573 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,369,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Obsidian Personal Planning Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.9% in the third quarter. Obsidian Personal Planning Solutions LLC now owns 2,416 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $492,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 3.1% in the second quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 1,585 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 3.7% in the third quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas now owns 1,384 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $282,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.6 %

UNP opened at $244.63 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $149.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $247.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $230.40. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $190.37 and a one year high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.81.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 46.87% and a net margin of 26.45%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.67 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on UNP. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Union Pacific from $239.00 to $237.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Raymond James upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $249.67.

Union Pacific Company 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.