Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Bought by Saxon Interests Inc.

Saxon Interests Inc. raised its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 6.5% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,476 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the quarter. Saxon Interests Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $609,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its position 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 worth $27,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock traded up $0.64 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $225.50. The stock had a trading volume of 1,530,522 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,304,113. The firm has a market capitalization of $137.58 billion, a PE ratio of 21.52, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $199.33 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $233.11 and its 200 day moving average is $240.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.76.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.67 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UNP. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. StockNews.com downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $280.00 price target (up from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 26th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.92.

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.