Lynch & Associates IN Boosts Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Lynch & Associates IN raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 7,964 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 63 shares during the quarter. Lynch & Associates IN’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,816,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Chesapeake Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% during the second quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 8,202 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,856,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.4% during the third quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 1,357 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $335,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% during the third quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC now owns 2,276 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $561,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. True Link Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. True Link Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,016 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $990,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alpha Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Alpha Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,453 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $329,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP traded down $6.71 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $225.11. 2,711,122 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,581,317. The stock has a market capitalization of $136.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $218.55 and a 1 year high of $258.66. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $234.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $238.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79.

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

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI downgraded shares of Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $254.00 to $247.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $262.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.