Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Rathbones Group PLC

Rathbones Group PLC lessened its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 42,372 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 2,446 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $9,587,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UNP. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 211.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Cultivar Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the company’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 transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Loop Capital lowered Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $275.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Daiwa America lowered Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price target for the company. 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, Union Pacific has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.79.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP stock opened at $249.12 on Monday. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $243.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $239.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $151.76 billion, a PE ratio of 23.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $199.33 and a 1 year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The business’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.57 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

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

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.