Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Purchased by Ascent Group LLC

Ascent Group LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 4.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 14,485 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 559 shares during the quarter. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $3,277,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Union Pacific by 211.4% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. Loop Capital cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Evercore ISI cut shares of Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $254.00 to $247.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Daiwa America cut shares of Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 8th. Seven 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of UNP opened at $244.22 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $245.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $238.89. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $199.33 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $148.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.30, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.57 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.15%.

Union Pacific 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.