Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Holdings Lifted by City Holding Co.

City Holding Co. increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 8.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,525 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 117 shares during the quarter. City Holding Co.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $360,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UNP. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $20,683,000. Vest Financial LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 48.8% in the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 4,809 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,097,000 after purchasing an additional 1,577 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 43,410 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $9,899,000 after purchasing an additional 7,432 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 150.7% in the fourth quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 14,718 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,353,000 after purchasing an additional 8,848 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Inc. AR grew its stake in Union Pacific by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 46,715 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $10,653,000 after purchasing an additional 3,771 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Argus upgraded Union Pacific to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Barclays lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $263.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $257.74.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of UNP opened at $224.05 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $219.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $232.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $133.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $204.66 and a 52 week high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.73 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.11 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.69 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 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, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.39%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 48.29%.

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.