IMS Capital Management Lowers Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

IMS Capital Management lessened its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,433 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 130 shares during the quarter. IMS Capital Management’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $600,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in Union Pacific by 23.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,851,767 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,682,931,000 after buying an additional 1,285,144 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in Union Pacific by 272.3% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $379,689,000 after purchasing an additional 1,227,318 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 35.3% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,118,477 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,012,857,000 after buying an additional 1,073,625 shares during the last quarter. Junto Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $123,297,000. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 186.4% during the second quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 704,769 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $159,461,000 after buying an additional 458,664 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on UNP shares. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Evercore ISI cut Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $254.00 to $247.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Loop Capital lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $276.00 to $238.00 in a report on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.79.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.9 %

UNP opened at $246.48 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $199.33 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The company has a market cap of $150.16 billion, a PE ratio of 23.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $245.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $238.82.

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

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.