Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Stokes Capital Advisors LLC

Stokes Capital Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,700 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 369 shares during the period. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $6,071,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allred Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Allred Capital Management LLC now owns 8,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,904,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. now owns 2,823 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $644,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,309 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $527,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 38.8% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC now owns 3,458 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $789,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Argus upgraded Union Pacific to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. 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 research note on Friday, May 16th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $259.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price target for the company. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price target 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $257.74.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $223.39 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $220.25 and its 200-day moving average is $232.23. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week high of $258.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $133.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.14, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.