Kesler Norman & Wride LLC Decreases Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC trimmed its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 3.6% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 27,920 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,034 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific makes up 1.5% of Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $6,867,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,832,127,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Union Pacific by 0.3% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,261,449 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,478,649,000 after purchasing an additional 19,145 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in Union Pacific by 23.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,851,767 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,682,931,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285,144 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,867,842 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,441,260,000 after purchasing an additional 125,522 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Union Pacific by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,504,181 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,351,937,000 after purchasing an additional 364,029 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE UNP traded up $0.07 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $225.57. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,219,762 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,259,866. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $199.33 and a 1 year high of $258.66. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $232.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $239.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $137.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.67 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.22 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. StockNews.com cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $248.00 to $267.00 in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.92.

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.