Brookstone Capital Management Raises Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Brookstone Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.0% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 19,239 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $4,742,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of UNP. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 272.3% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $379,689,000 after buying an additional 1,227,318 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 35.3% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,118,477 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,012,857,000 after acquiring an additional 1,073,625 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 7,370,752 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,812,689,000 after acquiring an additional 518,985 shares during the period. Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 186.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 704,769 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $159,461,000 after acquiring an additional 458,664 shares during the period. Finally, Global Assets Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter worth approximately $96,945,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:UNP opened at $238.84 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $245.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $238.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $199.97 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $145.50 billion, a PE ratio of 22.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. The business 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%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.57 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $1.34 dividend. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 50.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on UNP. Daiwa America cut Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Loop Capital cut Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a report on Monday, June 17th. Evercore ISI cut Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $254.00 to $247.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Barclays lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Nine 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.50.

Union Pacific 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.