Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) is Abacus Planning Group Inc.’s 6th Largest Position

Abacus Planning Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 84,941 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific makes up approximately 3.7% of Abacus Planning Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Abacus Planning Group Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $20,936,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the first quarter worth $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Union Pacific by 211.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

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 value of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UNP. StockNews.com downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 20th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.32.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of UNP opened at $243.35 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $148.25 billion, a P/E 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. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $246.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $238.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. 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 2.20%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 51.15%.

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.