Sovran Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Sovran Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,003 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $237,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. LGT Group Foundation increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 9.7% in the 1st quarter. LGT Group Foundation now owns 5,398 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 477 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at $988,822,000. SlateStone Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 13,264 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,133,000 after acquiring an additional 772 shares during the period. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 10.9% during the 1st quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,666 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $866,000 after buying an additional 359 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 16.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,545 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,491,000 after buying an additional 1,520 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $220.86 on Friday. Union Pacific Corporation has a twelve month low of $204.66 and a twelve month high of $256.84. The firm has a market cap of $130.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a 50 day moving average of $222.66 and a 200-day moving average of $225.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $6.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.09 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.74 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. Loop Capital upgraded Union Pacific from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $214.00 to $227.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $257.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Union Pacific from $257.00 to $276.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Union Pacific from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.38.

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.