Apella Capital LLC Takes $240,000 Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Apella Capital LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 985 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $240,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in Union Pacific by 272.3% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $379,689,000 after purchasing an additional 1,227,318 shares during the period. Capital World Investors lifted its stake 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 worth $1,012,857,000 after buying an additional 1,073,625 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 7.6% in the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 7,370,752 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,812,689,000 after buying an additional 518,985 shares during the last quarter. Junto Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $123,297,000. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 186.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 704,769 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $159,461,000 after acquiring an additional 458,664 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.7 %

UNP stock traded down $1.77 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $238.86. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,137,949 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,288,305. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $246.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $238.83. The stock has a market cap of $145.51 billion, a PE ratio of 22.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $199.33 and a 52 week high of $258.66. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.57 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.1 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 51.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on UNP. Loop Capital downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 20th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $259.32.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the transaction, the president now owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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.