Pacer Advisors Inc. Increases Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 25.5% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 52,344 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,646 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $11,843,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 211.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Daiwa America cut shares of Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, July 29th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.79.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $245.39 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $149.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $245.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $238.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $199.33 and a 1-year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.57 EPS. The business’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.15%.

About Union Pacific

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.