Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Increases Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 40.2% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 30,837 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,847 shares during the quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $7,601,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of UNP. Cultivar Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 3,250.0% during the second quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $262.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.80.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $245.23 on Thursday. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $218.55 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $240.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $238.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The firm has a market cap of $148.67 billion, a PE ratio of 22.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.78 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.51 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.19%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.22%.

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.