Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Bought by Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.

Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 11.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,201 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,555 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $5,702,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,832,127,000. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,851,767 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,682,931,000 after buying an additional 1,285,144 shares during the last quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth $293,162,000. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 35.3% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,118,477 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,012,857,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,625 shares during the period. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 115.3% in the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,070,123 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $262,844,000 after buying an additional 573,072 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP traded up $2.85 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $240.12. 627,910 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,277,569. 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. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $231.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $239.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $146.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.06.

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. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.57 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.12 EPS 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. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.62%.

Insider Activity 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 stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on UNP. TD Cowen cut their price target on Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $281.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.79.

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.