Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. Invests $3.09 Million in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 13,372 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $3,093,000. Union Pacific comprises approximately 2.3% of Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stephens Consulting LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 48.4% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 135 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 2,252 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $532,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 3,186 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $753,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,988 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,154,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keebeck Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management now owns 2,691 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $636,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on UNP shares. Evercore upgraded shares of Union Pacific from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $262.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $295.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Union Pacific from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $267.48.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total transaction of $469,625.07. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $260.50 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $251.40 and its 200 day moving average is $237.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $154.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.96. Union Pacific Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $206.63 and a fifty-two week high of $268.14.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.12% and a return on equity of 40.89%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.70 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 46.12%.

Union Pacific Profile

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) is one of the largest freight railroad companies in the United States. Its principal operating subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad, has roots that trace back to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and the construction of the first transcontinental rail link completed in 1869. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, and operates as a holding company for rail transportation and related services.

Union Pacific’s core business is the movement of freight by rail across an extensive rail network serving the western two‑thirds of the United States.