Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC Sells 300 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 10.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,459 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $605,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Silver Oak Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $219,000. Allegheny Financial Group LTD grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. Allegheny Financial Group LTD now owns 10,885 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,674,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth approximately $238,000. BNP Paribas bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,088,000. Finally, Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 48.3% in the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 18,512 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,547,000 after buying an additional 6,031 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of UNP stock traded up $5.01 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $240.36. 2,786,994 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,313,676. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $229.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $238.99. The firm has a market cap of $146.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.93. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $199.33 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.70 by $0.04. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The business had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.14 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.23%. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 49.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on UNP shares. Barclays dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Benchmark boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.75.

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.