Brasada Capital Management LP Cuts Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Brasada Capital Management LP cut its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.1% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 56,254 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 639 shares during the period. Union Pacific makes up about 2.2% of Brasada Capital Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Brasada Capital Management LP’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $12,854,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 19.5% in the second quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,719 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $615,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares during the last quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% in the second quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC now owns 3,693 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $836,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 10.2% in the second quarter. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH now owns 3,396 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $768,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 11.9% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 71,356 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $16,145,000 after acquiring an additional 7,604 shares during the period. Finally, Andra AP fonden grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 44.0% during the 2nd quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 99,514 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $22,516,000 after acquiring an additional 30,400 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $252.58 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $241.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $239.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $153.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.10, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $199.33 and a 52 week high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The business had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.12%. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 51.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on UNP shares. Daiwa America lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Barclays dropped their target price on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Susquehanna cut their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, Loop Capital cut Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.79.

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.