Chesley Taft & Associates LLC Has $12.48 Million Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC lowered its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,645 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 330 shares during the quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $12,483,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UNP. Forum Financial Management LP raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,037 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,731,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $584,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 8,202 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,856,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Fortis Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Union Pacific stock opened at $236.88 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $246.18 and its 200 day moving average is $238.75. The company has a market capitalization of $144.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.60, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $199.97 and a twelve month 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 quarterly 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 firm 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%. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America cut their target price on Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Loop Capital cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a report on Monday, June 17th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, July 29th. StockNews.com cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.32.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the 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 sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.