Alaethes Wealth LLC Buys 178 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Alaethes Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,390 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the quarter. Alaethes Wealth LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,446,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.6% in the first quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,037 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,731,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% in the first quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 3,015 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $741,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Union Pacific by 1.7% during the second quarter. Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $584,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Chesapeake Wealth Management increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.5% during the second quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 8,202 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,856,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elevated Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Union Pacific by 3.6% in the first quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on UNP. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Daiwa America cut Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $275.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.79.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the transaction, the president now owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Union Pacific stock opened at $245.39 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $199.33 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $245.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $239.17. The company has a market cap of $149.72 billion, a PE ratio of 23.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The company’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 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.15%.

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.