Erste Asset Management GmbH Acquires New Shares in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 31,366 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $7,661,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cultivar Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3,250.0% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP opened at $244.66 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $240.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $238.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.63. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $218.55 and a 1 year high of $258.66. The company has a market capitalization of $148.33 billion, a PE ratio of 22.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.78 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion for 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.51 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Daiwa America lowered Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on Union Pacific from $277.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Evercore ISI lowered shares of Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $254.00 to $247.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Nine research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $259.80.

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.