Signet Financial Management LLC Trims Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Signet Financial Management LLC lessened its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,417 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 160 shares during the period. Signet Financial Management LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,578,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 211.4% in 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 shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UNP. StockNews.com cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $280.00 target price (up from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.92.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $223.47 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The firm has a market cap of $136.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $233.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $240.40. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $199.33 and a 1-year high of $258.66.

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

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.