24,235 Shares in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Purchased by Itau Unibanco Holding S.A.

Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 24,235 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $5,483,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BNP Paribas acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the first quarter worth $1,088,000. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its stake 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 worth $558,542,000 after buying an additional 222,318 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its holdings 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 valued at $31,078,000 after acquiring an additional 20,173 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 75,365 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $18,511,000 after acquiring an additional 4,089 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&G Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the first quarter valued at about $10,378,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $245.39 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $245.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $239.07. The stock has a market cap of $149.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.42, a PEG 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 company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89.

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

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on UNP. Barclays decreased their price target on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Daiwa America downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 8th. Eight research 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.79.

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.