St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC Buys 117 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 5.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,365 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $582,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,832,127,000. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in Union Pacific by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,851,767 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,682,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285,144 shares during the last quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $293,162,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Union Pacific by 65.5% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,348,496 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $478,224,000 after acquiring an additional 929,495 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in Union Pacific by 331.7% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 1,143,298 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $280,817,000 after acquiring an additional 878,490 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $223.55 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $233.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $240.52. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $199.33 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The company has a market capitalization of $136.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. Union Pacific’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.67 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 31st. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Loop Capital cut Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $280.00 price target (up from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.92.

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.