Benjamin Edwards Inc. Acquires 185 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 8.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,453 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $555,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UNP. 9258 Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,124 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $767,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 86.8% during the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,589 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $594,000 after buying an additional 1,203 shares in the last quarter. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC now owns 4,387 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,077,000 after buying an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth $241,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its position in Union Pacific by 78.9% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 16,604 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,078,000 after acquiring an additional 7,321 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. TD Cowen cut their target price on Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Daiwa America cut shares of Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $275.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.79.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the president now owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.2 %

NYSE:UNP opened at $245.39 on Friday. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $199.33 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The company has a market capitalization of $149.49 billion, a PE ratio of 23.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $245.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $239.17. 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 last year, the firm earned $2.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business 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 $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 51.15%.

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.