Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Brighton Jones LLC

Brighton Jones LLC decreased its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,919 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 190 shares during the quarter. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,471,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in Union Pacific by 23.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,851,767 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,682,931,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285,144 shares during the last quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $293,162,000. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 35.3% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,118,477 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,012,857,000 after acquiring an additional 1,073,625 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 115.3% during the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,070,123 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $262,844,000 after acquiring an additional 573,072 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Junto Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $123,297,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.2 %

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

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results 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. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.57 EPS. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $275.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, July 29th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.79.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.