Argus Investors Counsel Inc. Reduces Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 20.8% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 643 shares during the quarter. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $564,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 2.0% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,105,382 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,678,575,000 after purchasing an additional 142,732 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Union Pacific by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,949,345 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,641,715,000 after buying an additional 354,463 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.7% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,105,784 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,206,191,000 after purchasing an additional 86,292 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in Union Pacific by 10.8% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 4,626,200 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,092,893,000 after acquiring an additional 452,788 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the first quarter valued at $988,822,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $235.14 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12-month low of $204.66 and a 12-month high of $256.84. The company has a market cap of $139.45 billion, a PE ratio of 20.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.03. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $222.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $224.54.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.09 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.73% and a net margin of 28.43%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.74 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.96%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNP has been the topic of several recent research reports. Baird R W raised shares of Union Pacific to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $231.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $257.00 to $276.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Barclays lowered Union Pacific from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $260.00.

About Union Pacific

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.