Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP

L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP lowered its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 24.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,024 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 326 shares during the quarter. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $242,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,927,377,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth $1,035,905,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 27,502.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,491,151 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $588,510,000 after buying an additional 2,482,126 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,282,305,000 after buying an additional 1,616,895 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,370,559,000 after acquiring an additional 1,298,178 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on UNP shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price target for the company. Citigroup raised shares of Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $260.00 to $244.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $259.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $257.74.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $220.91 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $204.66 and a fifty-two week high of $258.07. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $220.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $232.39. The firm has a market cap of $131.99 billion, a PE ratio of 19.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.73 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.11 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.69 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 48.29%.

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.