Sompo Asset Management Co. Ltd. Reduces Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Sompo Asset Management Co. Ltd. lowered its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,470 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,110 shares during the quarter. Sompo Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $3,727,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 211.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the second quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNP has been the subject of several analyst reports. TD Cowen cut their target price on Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Daiwa America cut shares of Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.79.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of UNP opened at $245.39 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $149.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $199.33 and a 1 year high of $258.66. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $245.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $239.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The firm’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.57 EPS. On average, analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.15%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the sale, 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 is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

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.