Avity Investment Management Inc. Sells 662 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Avity Investment Management Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 6.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,560 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 662 shares during the quarter. Avity Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,351,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 211.4% in 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 in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP traded up $2.79 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $226.26. The stock had a trading volume of 3,492,610 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,420,808. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $233.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $240.24. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $199.33 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $138.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.59, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.67 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.25 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UNP. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Benchmark lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $248.00 to $267.00 in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $252.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.92.

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.