Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Raymond James Trust N.A.

Raymond James Trust N.A. reduced its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 105,964 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 5,587 shares during the quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $23,975,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth about $1,832,127,000. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 23.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,851,767 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,682,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285,144 shares during the period. Winslow Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth about $293,162,000. Capital World Investors lifted 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 acquiring an additional 1,073,625 shares during the period. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 115.3% in the fourth 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. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Union Pacific stock traded up $2.53 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $246.85. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,449,222 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,001,557. The firm has a market cap of $150.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.55, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $234.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $238.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $199.33 and a twelve month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The firm’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.57 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.17%. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 8th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $281.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Seven 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.79.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.