Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Wedge Capital Management L L P NC

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lessened its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 23,220 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 307 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $5,254,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 5,137 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,162,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 35,521 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $8,037,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares during the last quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 19.7% in the 2nd quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,168 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,074,000 after purchasing an additional 1,507 shares during the last quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $241,000. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 126,800 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $28,690,000 after purchasing an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related 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 value of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price target for the company. Seven equities 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.79.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded up $0.91 during trading on Friday, hitting $244.62. 247,974 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,271,847. The stock has a market cap of $149.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.06. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $232.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $239.11. 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 current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.57 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.19%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 51.15%.

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.