Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Trims Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Ameritas Advisory Services LLC has reduced its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation by 23.8%, selling 1,069 shares, leaving them with 3,423 shares valued at approximately $788,000.
• In the 1st quarter, several hedge funds made significant adjustments to their positions in Union Pacific, including Highline Wealth Partners LLC increasing its holdings by 103.5% and CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosting theirs by 1,400%.
• Union Pacific recently increased its quarterly dividend to $1.38 per share, reflecting a yearly distribution of $5.52 and a yield of 2.3%.

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC reduced its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 23.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,423 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 1,069 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $788,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNP. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 1,400.0% in the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 120 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the first quarter worth $32,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. UBS Group set a $253.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $244.00 to $238.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $260.54.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $236.60 on Monday. Union Pacific Corporation has a one year low of $204.66 and a one year high of $256.84. The stock has a market cap of $140.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.65. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $223.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $224.44.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%. The company had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.74 EPS. Union Pacific's quarterly revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th were given a dividend of $1.38 per share. This is a boost from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 29th. Union Pacific's payout ratio is presently 47.96%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.