Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Position Raised by Vestcor Inc

Vestcor Inc increased its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,281 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $3,766,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cultivar Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Union Pacific by 3,250.0% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 134 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Fairscale Capital LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on UNP shares. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $262.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.80.

Union Pacific Stock Up 1.6 %

Union Pacific stock opened at $237.17 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $143.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.63. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $218.55 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $238.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $238.29.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.78 by ($0.03). The company 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.51 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 49.22%.

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.