Davis R M Inc. Has $37.83 Million Stock Position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)

Key Points

• Davis R M Inc. increased its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation by 1.7%, purchasing an additional 2,717 shares to reach a total of 160,113 shares valued at approximately $37.8 million.
• Union Pacific recently reported earnings of $3.03 per share, exceeding estimates by $0.19, and announced a quarterly dividend increase from $1.34 to $1.38 per share.
• Currently, 80.38% of Union Pacific's shares are owned by institutional investors, indicating strong interest in the company among large financial entities.

Davis R M Inc. grew its position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 1.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 160,113 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 2,717 shares during the quarter. Davis R M Inc.'s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $37,825,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of UNP. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Union Pacific by 223.2% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 307 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 449,437 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $102,490,000 after acquiring an additional 29,928 shares in the last quarter. May Hill Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $233,000. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 11,362 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,591,000 after buying an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $208,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on UNP. Robert W. Baird started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $244.00 to $238.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $257.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Stephens reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $258.21.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE UNP traded down $2.66 on Friday, hitting $219.31. 4,637,305 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,972,172. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $227.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $230.86. The company has a market cap of $130.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $204.66 and a 1-year high of $258.07.

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

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. 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. Union Pacific's payout ratio is 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.