Argent Trust Co Sells 279 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Argent Trust Co reduced its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,687 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 279 shares during the quarter. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $5,812,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price target on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.79.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of UNP stock opened at $253.55 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $199.33 and a 1 year high of $258.66. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $244.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $239.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $154.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.19, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.57 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 51.15%.

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.