Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Ascension Asset Management LLC

Ascension Asset Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 9,042 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 75 shares during the quarter. Ascension Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,046,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UNP. Silver Lake Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Silver Lake Advisory LLC now owns 4,736 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,072,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Nemes Rush Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 4.0% during the second quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 51,563 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $11,667,000 after buying an additional 1,960 shares during the last quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the second quarter valued at approximately $16,545,000. Copperwynd Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 8.8% during the second quarter. Copperwynd Financial LLC now owns 3,388 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $836,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the period. Finally, Aviso Wealth Management grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 17.1% in the 2nd quarter. Aviso Wealth Management now owns 1,499 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $339,000 after buying an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on UNP. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Daiwa America lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $275.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $244.22 on Friday. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $199.33 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $148.78 billion, a PE ratio of 23.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $245.80 and its 200-day moving average is $238.89.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.57 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio 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.