Waverly Advisors LLC Has $5.22 Million Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Waverly Advisors LLC raised its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 208.9% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 21,227 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,356 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $5,220,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 2,914 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $716,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 2,725 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $669,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. PFG Advisors raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 18,591 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,566,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. Fermata Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at $202,000. Finally, Wells Trecaso Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Wells Trecaso Financial Group LLC now owns 22,758 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $5,590,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Loop Capital lowered Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. StockNews.com cut Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given 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 $258.79.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.3 %

UNP stock traded up $3.22 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $245.37. 984,331 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,302,720. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.48 billion, a PE ratio of 23.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $199.33 and a 1 year high of $258.66. The company has a 50-day moving average of $229.87 and a 200-day moving average of $239.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.57 EPS. Analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.18%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.62%.

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.