Stonebrook Private Inc. Raises Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Stonebrook Private Inc. grew its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,555 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the quarter. Stonebrook Private Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,709,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 211.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP traded down $1.90 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $249.63. The stock had a trading volume of 2,406,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,268,389. The firm has a market cap of $152.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.81, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $199.33 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The business has a fifty day moving average of $240.55 and a 200 day moving average of $239.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.57 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $1.34 per share. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the president now owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UNP. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 8th. Daiwa America cut shares of Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.79.

Union Pacific Company 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.