Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC Reduces Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 19.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,800 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 4,971 shares during the quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $4,706,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Taurus Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Taurus Asset Management LLC now owns 31,431 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $7,112,000 after buying an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 8.0% in the second quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 20,943 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,739,000 after acquiring an additional 1,550 shares in the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 5.2% during the second quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,826,860 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $413,345,000 after purchasing an additional 90,722 shares during the last quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% during the second quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP now owns 35,548 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $8,043,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 8.1% in the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 39,597 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $8,959,000 after purchasing an additional 2,981 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $249.12 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $151.76 billion, a PE ratio of 23.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $199.33 and a 52-week high of $258.66. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $243.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $239.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its 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 company had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.57 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.15%. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 51.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Loop Capital lowered Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective 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. StockNews.com cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Eight 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.