Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Bought by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 196.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 13,800 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,148 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $3,175,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,010,000. Intellus Advisors LLC raised its position in Union Pacific by 3.0% during the second quarter. Intellus Advisors LLC now owns 48,470 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $11,152,000 after acquiring an additional 1,401 shares in the last quarter. HFR Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Union Pacific by 1.3% during the second quarter. HFR Wealth Management LLC now owns 46,435 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $10,684,000 after acquiring an additional 592 shares in the last quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the second quarter valued at approximately $284,000. Finally, Eley Financial Management Inc boosted its position in Union Pacific by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Eley Financial Management Inc now owns 20,058 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,615,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on UNP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $277.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $263.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Argus cut Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $261.63.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $229.08 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.75. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $225.25 and a 200 day moving average of $225.11. The firm has a market cap of $135.88 billion, a PE ratio of 19.46, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.04. Union Pacific Corporation has a one year low of $204.66 and a one year high of $256.84.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.24 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.73% and a return on equity of 42.23%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.75 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 5th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 46.90%.

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.