Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Quest Investment Management LLC

Quest Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 35.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,637 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 29,172 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific comprises 1.3% of Quest Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Quest Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $12,136,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BNP Paribas purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 1st quarter worth $1,088,000. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in Union Pacific by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,273,959 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $558,542,000 after buying an additional 222,318 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its position in Union Pacific by 19.0% in the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 126,369 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $31,078,000 after buying an additional 20,173 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 75,365 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $18,511,000 after buying an additional 4,089 shares during the period. Finally, M&G Plc purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the 1st quarter worth approximately $10,378,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $275.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday. Daiwa America downgraded Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the completion of 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 SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Union Pacific Trading Down 1.2 %

UNP stock opened at $245.39 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 business’s 50-day moving average is $245.45 and its 200 day moving average is $239.07. The stock has a market cap of $149.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.42, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $199.33 and a 12-month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.57 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 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.