Mattern Capital Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Mattern Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 36,731 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 249 shares during the quarter. Mattern Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $8,311,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Union Pacific by 211.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. bought a new position in Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of Union Pacific 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 directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Union Pacific from $281.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 8th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price objective for the company. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.79.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of UNP stock opened at $255.70 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $155.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $199.33 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $239.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $239.27.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $6.01 billion for 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%. The company’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.57 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.15%.

Union Pacific 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.