Avestar Capital LLC Increases Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Avestar Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 9.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,101 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the quarter. Avestar Capital LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $764,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cultivar Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Union Pacific during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Union Pacific by 3,250.0% during the second quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on UNP. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Citigroup upped their target price on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $277.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” 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 issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $259.80.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $245.63 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $240.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $238.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.92 billion, a PE ratio of 22.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.06. 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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $6.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.51 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 EPS for the current year.

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.