First City Capital Management Inc. Purchases 299 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

First City Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 16.6% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,103 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 299 shares during the period. First City Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $476,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $245.39 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $245.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $239.07. 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 $149.72 billion, a PE ratio of 23.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.57 EPS. 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 51.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, July 29th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price objective on the stock. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.79.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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.