Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA Sells 568 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA decreased its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 7.5% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 6,986 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 568 shares during the period. Union Pacific comprises about 1.1% of Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,581,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the first quarter worth $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 211.4% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Cultivar Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the second quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $281.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.79.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE UNP opened at $254.64 on Wednesday. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $199.33 and a one year high of $258.66. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $238.88 and a 200 day moving average of $239.16. The company has a market capitalization of $155.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.30, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.57 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 51.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

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.