Anchor Capital Advisors LLC Purchases 249 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 66,690 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the period. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $15,089,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 9258 Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,124 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $767,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 86.8% during the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,589 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $594,000 after purchasing an additional 1,203 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 9,795 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,406,000 after purchasing an additional 1,911 shares during the period. AGF Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 29,247 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $7,184,000 after buying an additional 930 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dana Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in Union Pacific by 19.0% during the fourth quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,760 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,169,000 after buying an additional 761 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on UNP shares. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.79.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $249.63 on Friday. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $199.33 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The stock has a market cap of $152.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.82, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $240.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $239.32.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.57 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 51.15%.

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.