Confluence Wealth Services Inc. Raises Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Confluence Wealth Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 7.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,722 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 674 shares during the period. Confluence Wealth Services Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,200,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,818 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,183,000 after purchasing an additional 546 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 230,300 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $56,566,000 after purchasing an additional 7,806 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 72,677 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $17,851,000 after purchasing an additional 4,322 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 15.8% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 15,628 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,838,000 after purchasing an additional 2,134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 9258 Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,124 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $767,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 26th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 8th. StockNews.com cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, July 29th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.79.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP stock traded up $4.21 on Friday, hitting $256.09. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,386,564 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,260,287. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $237.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $239.18. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $199.33 and a 1 year high of $258.66. The stock has a market cap of $156.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.09%. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the company’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 owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.