Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC Makes New Investment in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 7,284 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,789,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UNP. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 108.9% in the third quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,128,575 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $840,702,000 after buying an additional 2,151,893 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 62.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,496,708 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,119,295,000 after acquiring an additional 2,119,382 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 65.5% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,348,496 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $478,224,000 after acquiring an additional 929,495 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 331.7% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 1,143,298 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $280,817,000 after purchasing an additional 878,490 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 20,736.8% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 803,677 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $197,399,000 after purchasing an additional 799,820 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE:UNP traded down $0.76 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $242.79. 2,255,458 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,120,671. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $190.45 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $244.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $235.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $148.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.17, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.67 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.62%.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.78.

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.