Miracle Mile Advisors LLC Grows Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Miracle Mile Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 20.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 46,129 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,956 shares during the quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $10,519,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Fairscale Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the second quarter worth about $31,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 265.7% during the 3rd quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 128 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.6 %

UNP stock traded up $1.39 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $226.60. 2,277,785 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,539,150. The firm has a market capitalization of $137.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.77. The business has a 50 day moving average of $234.64 and a 200-day moving average of $238.83. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $218.55 and a 52-week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.78 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. Union Pacific’s revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.51 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.37%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 49.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on UNP. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $262.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $252.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.80.

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.