Chicago Capital LLC Decreases Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Chicago Capital LLC cut its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,174 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 382 shares during the quarter. Chicago Capital LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,755,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Allegheny Financial Group LTD lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 22.5% during the fourth quarter. Allegheny Financial Group LTD now owns 10,885 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,674,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,088,000. Stifel Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,273,959 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $558,542,000 after acquiring an additional 222,318 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its stake in Union Pacific by 19.0% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 126,369 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $31,078,000 after purchasing an additional 20,173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 75,365 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $18,511,000 after purchasing an additional 4,089 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP stock traded down $1.90 during trading on Friday, hitting $249.63. The company had a trading volume of 2,406,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,268,389. The business has a 50 day moving average of $240.55 and a 200 day moving average of $239.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $152.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $199.33 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The business had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.15%. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on UNP. Loop Capital downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Daiwa America downgraded Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, June 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. Eight 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.79.

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.