Financial Counselors Inc. Buys 2,108 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Financial Counselors Inc. grew its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 260,090 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,108 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific comprises about 0.9% of Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest position. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $64,107,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter worth approximately $190,000. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the first quarter worth $36,938,000. First City Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. First City Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,804 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Raelipskie Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter worth $878,000. Finally, PGGM Investments purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the 1st quarter worth $164,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $245.23 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $240.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $238.51. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $218.55 and a 12 month high of $258.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.52, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.78 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.51 EPS. Analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.19%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 49.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on UNP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Daiwa America lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.80.

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.