J. Goldman & Co LP Acquires New Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

J. Goldman & Co LP bought a new position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 8,872 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $2,413,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. EFG International AG purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth $50,172,000. Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the second quarter valued at $7,900,000. Primecap Management Co. CA purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the second quarter worth about $211,001,000. Palisade Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter worth about $7,831,000. Finally, Cooper Haims Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter worth about $203,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on UNP shares. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $301.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $320.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $304.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Union Pacific from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Citizens Jmp assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $350.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $320.89.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $310.11 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $287.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $268.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Union Pacific Corporation has a twelve month low of $210.84 and a twelve month high of $315.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $184.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.11, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.96.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 38.46% and a net margin of 28.85%.The company’s revenue was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.03 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.42 per share. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 44.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total value of $789,504.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,353,447.52. This represents a 6.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Union Pacific Profile

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) is one of the largest freight railroad companies in the United States. Its principal operating subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad, has roots that trace back to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and the construction of the first transcontinental rail link completed in 1869. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, and operates as a holding company for rail transportation and related services.

Union Pacific’s core business is the movement of freight by rail across an extensive rail network serving the western two‑thirds of the United States.