HMV Wealth Advisors LLC Invests $582,000 in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

HMV Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,551 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $582,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 16.4% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 2,860 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $705,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2,025.4% during the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $134,636,000 after purchasing an additional 520,536 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 5.8% during the third quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 1,812 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $446,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Lifeworks Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the third quarter worth approximately $343,000. Finally, Oak Harbor Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 3.5% during the third quarter. Oak Harbor Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,981 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,214,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $237.71 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $242.05 and a 200 day moving average of $240.77. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $218.55 and a 12 month high of $258.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $143.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 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 previous year, the business posted $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Loop Capital cut Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup upped their target price on Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark upped their target price on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

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.