Levin Capital Strategies L.P. Acquires 757 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Levin Capital Strategies L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,765 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 757 shares during the quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $11,712,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $1,832,127,000. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 7.6% during the 1st 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 last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,856,266 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,438,417,000 after purchasing an additional 113,946 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 7.1% in 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 last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 5.7% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,396,974 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,081,348,000 after buying an additional 237,083 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, 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 currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on UNP shares. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price target on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, June 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price objective on the stock. Daiwa America lowered Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.79.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.6 %

Union Pacific stock opened at $251.11 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $152.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $241.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $239.22. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $199.33 and a 1-year high of $258.66. 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 (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.57 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 51.15%.

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.