Appleton Partners Inc. MA Reduces Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Appleton Partners Inc. MA trimmed its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 8.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,875 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 370 shares during the period. Appleton Partners Inc. MA’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $953,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 211.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $248.00 to $267.00 in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Loop Capital lowered Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $259.75.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $222.58 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $234.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $240.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market cap of $135.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $199.06 and a one year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.67 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.25 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 31st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.62%.

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.