HTLF Bank Lowers Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

HTLF Bank lowered its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 14.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,456 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 402 shares during the period. HTLF Bank’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $605,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of UNP. Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in Union Pacific by 0.6% during the first quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,037 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,731,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Union Pacific by 1.7% during the second quarter. Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $584,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Chesapeake Wealth Management raised its position in Union Pacific by 0.5% during the second quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 8,202 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,856,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Union Pacific by 3.6% during the first quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Fortis Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Union Pacific by 5.0% during the first quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. StockNews.com cut Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Susquehanna upped their target price on Union Pacific from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Evercore ISI cut Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and cut their target price for the company from $254.00 to $247.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $288.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.25.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.2 %

Union Pacific stock traded up $0.52 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $245.79. 1,857,037 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,271,491. The business has a fifty day moving average of $245.88 and a 200 day moving average of $238.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market cap of $149.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.45, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $199.97 and a 12-month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.57 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

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.