Sapient Capital LLC Cuts Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Sapient Capital LLC lessened its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 111,990 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 2,057 shares during the quarter. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $26,457,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UNP. EnRich Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. PrairieView Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 38.8% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UNP shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Argus raised Union Pacific to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Citigroup raised Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $244.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Union Pacific from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $257.74.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.4%

UNP opened at $225.70 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $220.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $231.96. The company has a market capitalization of $134.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.35, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $204.66 and a 52 week high of $258.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.73 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.69 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued 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 dividend yield of 2.37%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.29%.

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.