Applied Finance Capital Management LLC Reduces Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)

Applied Finance Capital Management LLC reduced its position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 49.4% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 82,765 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 80,949 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific accounts for about 1.4% of Applied Finance Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $19,553,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Angeles Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,650 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,571,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter worth approximately $480,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.3% in the first quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 124,280 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $29,360,000 after purchasing an additional 1,589 shares in the last quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 27.4% in the first quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 41,478 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $9,803,000 after purchasing an additional 8,925 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 276.4% in the first quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,226 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 5,306 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $259.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $263.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.46.

Union Pacific Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of UNP opened at $224.71 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $227.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $231.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.65. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1 year low of $204.66 and a 1 year high of $258.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $134.26 billion, a PE ratio of 19.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%. The firm had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.74 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.46%. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.29%.

About Union Pacific

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.