Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Acquired by Wedbush Securities Inc.

Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 3.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,027 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 639 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $4,079,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% during the second quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC now owns 56,611 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $12,809,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. Prudential PLC raised its position in Union Pacific by 44.2% during the 2nd quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 112,272 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,403,000 after buying an additional 34,418 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 21,659 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,901,000 after acquiring an additional 385 shares during the period. Private Management Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 9.3% in the second quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 988 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $223,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 4.0% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 7,938 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,796,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on UNP. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Barclays decreased their price target on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $281.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Daiwa America downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.79.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $249.63 on Monday. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $199.33 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The company has a market cap of $152.07 billion, a PE ratio of 23.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 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. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $240.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $239.24.

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

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 51.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.