Central Valley Advisors LLC Acquires 119 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Central Valley Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,508 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific makes up 1.2% of Central Valley Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Central Valley Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,097,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC now owns 3,997 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $982,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the period. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,525 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $375,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Services LLC grew its position in Union Pacific by 198.4% during the fourth quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 3,435 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $845,000 after buying an additional 2,284 shares in the last quarter. Prudential PLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 35,588 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $8,741,000 after acquiring an additional 1,080 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 23.6% in the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 636,225 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $156,270,000 after acquiring an additional 121,404 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of UNP stock traded down $1.77 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $238.86. 2,137,949 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,288,305. The firm has a market capitalization of $145.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.79, 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’s 50-day moving average price is $246.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $238.83. 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 released 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 business had revenue of $6.01 billion for 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 business’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.57 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.1 earnings per share 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 given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.15%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,014,787.55. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UNP. Loop Capital cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Evercore ISI downgraded Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $254.00 to $247.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $259.32.

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.