Czech National Bank Raises Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Czech National Bank raised its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 6.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 124,100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,836 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $30,588,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Union Pacific by 211.4% during the 4th 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 period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP stock opened at $240.64 on Friday. 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 Co. has a 1 year low of $199.33 and a 1 year high of $258.66. The company has a market cap of $146.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $246.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $238.87.

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 net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The firm’s revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.57 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were given a $1.34 dividend. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.23%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the subject of a number of research reports. Loop Capital downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research note on Monday, June 17th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, June 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI lowered shares of Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $254.00 to $247.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Daiwa America cut shares of Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.32.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the 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 sale, the president now directly 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

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.