Donoghue Forlines LLC Lowers Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Donoghue Forlines LLC lessened its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 8.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,483 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 229 shares during the quarter. Donoghue Forlines LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $611,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew 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 last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Tributary Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the first quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $248.00 to $267.00 in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 8th. Benchmark upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.63.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE UNP traded up $4.43 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $240.42. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 662,912 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,259,171. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $199.33 and a 1 year high of $258.66. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $230.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $239.04. The company has a market capitalization of $146.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.52, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.67 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 31st were issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 31st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.62%.

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.