Providence Capital Advisors LLC Grows Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Providence Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 10,507.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 25,459 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,219 shares during the quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $5,806,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Easterly Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $5,197,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,927,377,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 35,139 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $8,013,000 after purchasing an additional 4,302 shares in the last quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth approximately $305,000. Finally, NEOS Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 43,880 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $10,006,000 after purchasing an additional 4,320 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on UNP shares. Benchmark lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began 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. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.76.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.8 %

UNP stock opened at $236.07 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $243.15 and its 200 day moving average is $239.69. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.07. The stock has a market cap of $142.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.29, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 earned $2.71 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,240,000. This trade represents 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 company insiders.

Union Pacific Company 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.