Meeder Advisory Services Inc. Increases Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Meeder Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.8% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 8,359 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 149 shares during the quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,056,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 211.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Tributary Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded up $5.77 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $235.99. The company had a trading volume of 2,569,414 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,271,084. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $199.33 and a 52-week high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $143.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a 50 day moving average of $230.75 and a 200 day moving average of $239.04.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.67 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st were issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UNP shares. Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $280.00 price objective (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Loop Capital cut Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a report on Monday, June 17th. Stifel Nicolaus raised Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $248.00 to $267.00 in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.63.

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.