Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Bought by Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 9.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,008 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,443 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $3,848,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. BNP Paribas acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the first quarter valued at $1,088,000. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,273,959 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $558,542,000 after purchasing an additional 222,318 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 19.0% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 126,369 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $31,078,000 after purchasing an additional 20,173 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 75,365 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $18,511,000 after buying an additional 4,089 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&G Plc acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the first quarter worth approximately $10,378,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, July 29th. BMO Capital Markets dropped 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 report 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, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price objective on the stock. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.79.

Insider Activity

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 transaction of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE UNP opened at $245.39 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 stock has a market capitalization of $149.72 billion, a PE ratio of 23.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $199.33 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $245.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $239.07.

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. The business had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.57 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio 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.