Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. Takes $557,000 Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. acquired 2,359 shares of Union Pacific Corporation for approximately $557,000, signaling confidence in the company's stock.
• Union Pacific recently reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS), which exceeded analysts' expectations and indicated a 2.4% increase in revenue compared to the same quarter last year.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend increase, with investors to receive $1.38 per share, up from the previous $1.34, reflecting a healthy dividend yield of 2.5%.

Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,359 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $557,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 103.5% in the 1st quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 50.5% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 167 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, IMA Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at about $43,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup cut Union Pacific from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $270.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $263.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Union Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $250.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Friday, July 25th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $258.21.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP traded down $2.72 during trading on Friday, hitting $220.34. 4,001,761 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,119,977. The firm has a market capitalization of $130.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.14, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.03. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $204.66 and a 1-year high of $256.84. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $226.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $227.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.74 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. This is a positive change from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is presently 47.96%.

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.