Earnest Partners LLC Has $10.25 Million Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Earnest Partners LLC decreased its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 47.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,683 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 37,493 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $10,251,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Silver Oak Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $219,000. Allegheny Financial Group LTD boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. Allegheny Financial Group LTD now owns 10,885 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,674,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $238,000. BNP Paribas bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,088,000. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,273,959 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $558,542,000 after purchasing an additional 222,318 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on UNP shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. TD Cowen cut their price target on Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Union Pacific from $281.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price objective on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.79.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.7 %

UNP traded up $1.79 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $242.15. 1,988,645 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,311,876. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $229.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $239.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $147.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $199.33 and a 52 week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The business’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.57 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.21%. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.62%.

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.