Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Purchased by Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc.

Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 64,602 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 398 shares during the period. Union Pacific accounts for 1.5% of Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $14,617,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,832,127,000. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in Union Pacific by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,851,767 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,682,931,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285,144 shares in the last quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $293,162,000. Capital World Investors raised its position in Union Pacific by 35.3% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,118,477 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,012,857,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,625 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in Union Pacific by 331.7% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 1,143,298 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $280,817,000 after purchasing an additional 878,490 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on UNP shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $281.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.79.

Union Pacific Trading Down 1.8 %

NYSE UNP traded down $4.50 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $239.97. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,114,653 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,386,958. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $230.71 and a 200 day moving average of $239.22. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $199.33 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.90, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. Union Pacific’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.57 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. 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 yield of 2.23%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Whited Elizabeth 3,553 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.