Saxon Interests Inc. Purchases 151 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Saxon Interests Inc. increased its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 6.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,643 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the quarter. Saxon Interests Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $651,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Personal CFO Solutions LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,627 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Unigestion Holding SA boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 370.8% in the 4th quarter. Unigestion Holding SA now owns 9,045 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,222,000 after buying an additional 7,124 shares in the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 12,459 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,060,000 after buying an additional 588 shares during the last quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth approximately $675,000. Finally, Ethic Inc. lifted its position in Union Pacific by 26.8% during the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 25,474 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,257,000 after acquiring an additional 5,379 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Union Pacific stock traded down $0.66 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $236.90. 466,292 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,273,272. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $199.97 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $144.32 billion, a PE ratio of 22.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.05. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $245.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $238.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.57 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,014,787.55. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on UNP. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $264.00 price target on the stock. Daiwa America lowered Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Loop Capital downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a report on Monday, June 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.55.

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.