Clifford Group LLC Acquires 56 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Clifford Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,360 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Union Pacific comprises about 0.6% of Clifford Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Clifford Group LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $760,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Cultivar Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $248.44 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $245.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $239.23. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $199.33 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $151.35 billion, a PE ratio of 23.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Loop Capital cut shares of 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. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.79.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific 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.