Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Purchased by Bridges Investment Management Inc.

Bridges Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 186.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 704,769 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 458,664 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific accounts for approximately 2.4% of Bridges Investment Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Bridges Investment Management Inc. owned 0.12% of Union Pacific worth $159,461,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 211.4% in 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 during the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the president now owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on UNP shares. Loop Capital downgraded shares of 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. StockNews.com cut Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Eight 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.79.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $248.44 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The firm has a market cap of $151.35 billion, a PE ratio of 23.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $245.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $239.23. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $199.33 and a 52 week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.57 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors 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 yield of 2.16%. 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 (DPR) is 51.15%.

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.