Connors Investor Services Inc. Sells 50 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Connors Investor Services Inc. trimmed its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,515 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 50 shares during the period. Connors Investor Services Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $343,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Forum Financial Management LP increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.6% during the first quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,037 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,731,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,007,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 3,015 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $741,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 1.7% during the second quarter. Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $584,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elevated Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 3.6% during the first quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UNP. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $275.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Daiwa America cut Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.79.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $252.51 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $154.06 billion, a PE ratio of 24.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a fifty day moving average of $243.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $239.08. 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 Co. has a fifty-two week low of $199.33 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66.

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

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. 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.