Courier Capital LLC Sells 928 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Courier Capital LLC decreased its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 21.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,372 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 928 shares during the quarter. Courier Capital LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $763,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Silver Oak Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $219,000. Allegheny Financial Group LTD boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 22.5% during the fourth quarter. Allegheny Financial Group LTD now owns 10,885 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,674,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth $238,000. BNP Paribas purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at $1,088,000. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,273,959 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $558,542,000 after acquiring an additional 222,318 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Union Pacific stock traded down $2.36 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $243.37. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,026,749 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,261,747. The company has a market capitalization of $148.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.25, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.06. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $233.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $239.03. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $199.33 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.57 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a $1.34 dividend. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on UNP. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $281.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.79.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.