Exchange Capital Management Inc. Lowers Stake in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Exchange Capital Management Inc. cut its position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 1.5% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,892 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 72 shares during the period. Exchange Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,125,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. LGT Group Foundation boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 9.7% in the first quarter. LGT Group Foundation now owns 5,398 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,275,000 after buying an additional 477 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the first quarter valued at approximately $988,822,000. SlateStone Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 6.2% during the first quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 13,264 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,133,000 after buying an additional 772 shares in the last quarter. Meadow Creek Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 359 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 16.8% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,545 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,491,000 after buying an additional 1,520 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.0%

UNP stock opened at $234.65 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $223.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.59. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $204.66 and a 52 week high of $256.84. The company has a market cap of $139.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.07.

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

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th were given a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 29th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on UNP shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $257.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Argus downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Loop Capital upgraded Union Pacific from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $214.00 to $227.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $260.00.

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.