NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC Cuts Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC decreased its stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 89,919 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 958 shares during the quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $21,246,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,105,382 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,678,575,000 after acquiring an additional 142,732 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,949,345 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,641,715,000 after buying an additional 354,463 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,105,784 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,206,191,000 after buying an additional 86,292 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 10.8% during the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 4,626,200 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,092,893,000 after buying an additional 452,788 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter worth approximately $988,822,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $257.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $271.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Robert W. Baird began coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $231.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $257.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.38.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $217.19 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $223.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $225.45. The company has a market cap of $128.80 billion, a PE ratio of 18.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.03. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12-month low of $204.66 and a 12-month high of $256.84.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.09 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.73% and a net margin of 28.43%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.74 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current 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. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 47.96%.

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.