Emprise Bank Makes New Investment in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Emprise Bank acquired a new position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 5,545 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,364,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. StockNews.com cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $280.00 price target (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.75.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of UNP traded up $1.20 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $222.58. The stock had a trading volume of 2,057,245 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,537,389. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $199.06 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $234.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $240.65. The company has a market cap of $135.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.24, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.76.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion for 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%. The company’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.67 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 31st. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 49.62%.

Union Pacific Company 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.