Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Sells 13,482 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. lowered its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 10.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 116,509 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 13,482 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $26,361,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in shares of 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 worth $1,682,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285,144 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 272.3% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $379,689,000 after buying an additional 1,227,318 shares during the period. Winslow Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $293,162,000. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 35.3% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,118,477 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,012,857,000 after buying an additional 1,073,625 shares during the period. Finally, Junto Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth $123,297,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $275.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI cut shares of Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $254.00 to $247.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.11.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.4 %

Union Pacific stock opened at $244.22 on Friday. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $199.33 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $148.78 billion, a PE ratio of 23.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s 50-day moving average is $245.80 and its 200-day moving average is $238.89. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.19%. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 51.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were 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 $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

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.