Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC Invests $1.79 Million in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 7,284 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,789,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 21,063.6% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 9,312 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,896,000 after purchasing an additional 9,268 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 3,896 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $793,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 29.1% during the third quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 1,879 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $383,000 after buying an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 8.4% in the third quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 1,434 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $292,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. Finally, Fiduciary Alliance LLC grew its position in Union Pacific by 25.8% during the third quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 996 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $203,000 after buying an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Benchmark boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $280.00 price objective (up from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with 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, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.78.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE UNP traded down $0.76 on Friday, hitting $242.79. 2,255,458 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,120,671. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $190.45 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $244.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $235.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The company has a market cap of $148.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.67 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.08 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.14%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.62%.

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.