American National Bank & Trust Cuts Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

American National Bank & Trust decreased its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 42,927 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 204 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific makes up 1.2% of American National Bank & Trust’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. American National Bank & Trust’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $10,581,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Union Pacific by 211.4% during 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. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $243.35 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $246.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $238.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.22, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $199.33 and a one year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $6.01 billion for 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%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.57 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.1 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 51.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 8th. Loop Capital cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Daiwa America lowered Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.32.

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.