Blue Trust Inc. Grows Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 7.7% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,408 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $838,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter worth about $252,000. Legacy Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter. Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 1,938 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $395,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. JT Stratford LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. JT Stratford LLC now owns 2,677 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $545,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP boosted its position in Union Pacific by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP now owns 8,206 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,671,000 after purchasing an additional 853 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 226,221 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $46,065,000 after purchasing an additional 1,879 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP traded down $0.40 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $225.17. The company had a trading volume of 1,659,395 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,073,654. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The firm has a market cap of $137.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $199.33 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $232.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $239.77.

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

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st were given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $252.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Benchmark upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.92.

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.