Howland Capital Management LLC Has $27.90 Million Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Howland Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 7.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 113,434 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 8,235 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific comprises approximately 1.3% of Howland Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $27,897,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 211.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of UNP stock traded up $4.25 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $228.66. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,517,926 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,271,542. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $231.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $239.37. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $199.33 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a market cap of $139.51 billion, a PE ratio of 21.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.67 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Loop Capital downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $276.00 to $238.00 in a report on Monday, June 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price objective on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. StockNews.com downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their price objective on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.63.

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.