Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. Sells 4,471 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,222,239 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 4,471 shares during the quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. owned about 0.20% of Union Pacific worth $276,544,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Twin Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,394 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $342,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,037 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,731,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP increased its position in Union Pacific by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 7,838 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,925,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,007,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 3,015 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $741,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP traded up $1.54 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $246.07. 1,686,480 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,278,878. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $233.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $239.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $150.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $199.33 and a 1-year high of $258.66. 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 (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.57 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. 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. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on UNP shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $281.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Loop Capital downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a report on Monday, June 17th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price target for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Seven investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.79.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.