Strategic Financial Concepts LLC Takes $12.81 Million Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 56,601 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $12,807,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Allegheny Financial Group LTD raised its stake 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 buying an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,088,000. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in Union Pacific by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,273,959 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $558,542,000 after purchasing an additional 222,318 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 19.0% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 126,369 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $31,078,000 after purchasing an additional 20,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $18,511,000 after purchasing an additional 4,089 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, July 29th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Barclays cut their price objective on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Loop Capital lowered Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $281.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.79.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $249.63 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $240.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $239.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $152.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.82, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $199.33 and a 1-year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.57 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the sale, the president now owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.