Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Holdings Decreased by Pinnacle Bancorp Inc.

Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.6% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,706 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 59 shares during the period. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $911,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the third quarter worth about $252,000. Mather Group LLC. increased its stake in Union Pacific by 14.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 2,834 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $577,000 after purchasing an additional 362 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth about $6,807,000. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth about $201,000. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp increased its stake in Union Pacific by 16.9% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 77,601 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $15,803,000 after purchasing an additional 11,244 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on UNP. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $280.00 price target (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com cut Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.92.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP traded up $2.80 during trading on Friday, hitting $226.27. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,492,609 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,315,245. The firm has a market cap of $138.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $199.33 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $233.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $240.24.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.67 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 31st. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.62%.

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.