Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Stake Boosted by Granite Group Advisors LLC

Granite Group Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 10.0% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 9,949 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 901 shares during the period. Union Pacific comprises 1.6% of Granite Group Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Granite Group Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,452,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norden Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the first quarter worth $358,000. AIA Group Ltd grew its stake in Union Pacific by 13.9% during the 1st quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 2,367 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $582,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 266.7% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 28,139 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,920,000 after purchasing an additional 20,465 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 12.0% in the first quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 36,616 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $9,005,000 after purchasing an additional 3,909 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hyman Charles D boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.3% during the first quarter. Hyman Charles D now owns 9,367 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,304,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP traded up $0.57 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $243.13. 132,961 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,298,531. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $243.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $238.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $208.14 and a 12 month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.78 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.51 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $262.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.15.

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.