Heritage Wealth Management Inc. Makes New Investment in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Heritage Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 7,125 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,604,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.3% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 8,312,154 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,880,701,000 after purchasing an additional 106,996 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 7.6% in the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 7,370,752 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,812,689,000 after purchasing an additional 518,985 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.1% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,970,669 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,350,924,000 after purchasing an additional 124,571 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,856,266 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,438,417,000 after purchasing an additional 113,946 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 5.7% in the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,396,974 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,081,348,000 after purchasing an additional 237,083 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on UNP. StockNews.com lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 target price on the stock. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 20th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.79.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP opened at $245.50 on Wednesday. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $199.33 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.56 billion, a PE ratio of 23.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $245.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $238.83.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.57 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.1 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.15%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

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.