Arete Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases 2,065 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 103.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,067 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,065 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $927,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 111.5% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 129 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on UNP. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $285.00 target price (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $261.95.

Union Pacific Stock Down 5.0 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $212.86 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $242.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $238.85. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $212.55 and a 52-week high of $258.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $127.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.71 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.52%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.