Atlas Capital Advisors LLC Has $275,000 Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Atlas Capital Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,214 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 50 shares during the period. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $275,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UNP. Norges Bank bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth $1,832,127,000. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 7.6% in the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 7,370,752 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,812,689,000 after purchasing an additional 518,985 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,867,842 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,441,260,000 after purchasing an additional 125,522 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,504,181 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,351,937,000 after purchasing an additional 364,029 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,396,974 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,081,348,000 after buying an additional 237,083 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UNP. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Union Pacific from $281.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 8th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, July 29th. Loop Capital lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their target price on Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP traded up $2.88 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $256.08. 2,386,553 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,260,287. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $199.33 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The firm has a market cap of $156.00 billion, a PE ratio of 24.44, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.06. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $237.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $239.12. 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 (NYSE:UNP) last posted 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 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 business’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.57 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.09%. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.62%.

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.