Violich Capital Management Inc. Decreases Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Violich Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 14.4% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 34,140 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 5,725 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific comprises approximately 1.1% of Violich Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Violich Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $7,855,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 10.6% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 93,337 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $21,475,000 after purchasing an additional 8,925 shares in the last quarter. LGT Group Foundation raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 9.7% in the 1st quarter. LGT Group Foundation now owns 5,398 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,275,000 after purchasing an additional 477 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at $988,822,000. SlateStone Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 13,264 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,133,000 after purchasing an additional 772 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 10.9% in the 1st quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,666 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $866,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE UNP opened at $225.98 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $134.03 billion, a PE ratio of 19.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.07. Union Pacific Corporation has a one year low of $204.66 and a one year high of $256.84. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $224.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.02.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.09 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.74 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on UNP. Loop Capital upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $214.00 to $227.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Barclays lowered shares of Union Pacific from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and set a $272.00 price target (up from $257.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $261.58.

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.