Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Purchased by Perennial Investment Advisors LLC

Perennial Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 6.0% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,637 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $597,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BNP Paribas acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter worth about $1,088,000. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,273,959 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $558,542,000 after purchasing an additional 222,318 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 19.0% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 126,369 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $31,078,000 after purchasing an additional 20,173 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 75,365 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $18,511,000 after purchasing an additional 4,089 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&G Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter worth about $10,378,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on UNP shares. Barclays decreased 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 note on Friday, July 26th. TD Cowen decreased their target price 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. Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $275.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.79.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE UNP opened at $253.55 on Wednesday. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $199.33 and a one year high of $258.66. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $244.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $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. The firm has a market capitalization of $154.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.19, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 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 quarter last year, the firm posted $2.57 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 51.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on 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 owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

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.