Quantum Financial Advisors LLC Cuts Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Quantum Financial Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,277 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 70 shares during the period. Quantum Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $291,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 272.3% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $379,689,000 after acquiring an additional 1,227,318 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 19,878.6% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 896,040 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $220,856,000 after purchasing an additional 891,555 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,795,993,000 after purchasing an additional 625,492 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2,025.4% during the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $134,636,000 after purchasing an additional 520,536 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 170.9% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 736,246 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $181,470,000 after purchasing an additional 464,477 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP stock opened at $226.60 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $137.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.81, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $218.55 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $234.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $238.85.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.78 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.51 EPS. Analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on UNP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $262.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.80.

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.