National Bank of Canada FI Trims Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

National Bank of Canada FI reduced its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 60.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 251,613 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 390,994 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $62,217,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth $1,832,127,000. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 23.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,851,767 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,682,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285,144 shares during the period. Winslow Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $293,162,000. Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 331.7% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 1,143,298 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $280,817,000 after purchasing an additional 878,490 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 20,736.8% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 803,677 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $197,399,000 after purchasing an additional 799,820 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE UNP traded down $2.00 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $237.50. The company had a trading volume of 3,288,834 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,305,324. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $199.33 and a 52-week high of $258.66. The stock has a market cap of $144.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.66, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $230.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $239.02.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.97 billion. The business’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.67 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 49.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on UNP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price target on the stock. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.54.

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.