Cornerstone Advisors LLC Lowers Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Cornerstone Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 37,800 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 400 shares during the quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $8,553,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 23.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,851,767 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,682,931,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285,144 shares during the last quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth $293,162,000. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 35.3% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,118,477 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,012,857,000 after buying an additional 1,073,625 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 115.3% in the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,070,123 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $262,844,000 after buying an additional 573,072 shares during the period. Finally, Junto Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth about $123,297,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

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 on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $249.12 on Monday. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $199.33 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The firm has a market cap of $151.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 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. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $243.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $239.08.

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

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 51.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on UNP shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Susquehanna cut their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.79.

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.