Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. Grows Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.4% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,001 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $738,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of UNP. Silver Oak Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth approximately $219,000. Personal CFO Solutions LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 39.3% in the 3rd quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,407 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $287,000 after acquiring an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 46.9% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 87,905 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $21,596,000 after purchasing an additional 28,052 shares during the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 48.3% in the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 18,512 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,547,000 after purchasing an additional 6,031 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisor Resource Council purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $606,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE:UNP traded down $3.82 on Tuesday, reaching $237.13. 1,737,004 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,318,918. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $243.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $235.77. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $190.71 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The firm has a market cap of $144.68 billion, a PE ratio of 22.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.67 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.62%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on UNP. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, January 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $252.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.