Fayez Sarofim & Co Sells 769,833 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)

Key Points

• Fayez Sarofim & Co has reduced its stake in Union Pacific Corporation by 26.8%, now holding approximately $499.91 million worth of shares.
• Union Pacific recently reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $3.03, exceeding analysts' expectations, and has a 2.4% increase in year-over-year revenue.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.38, with a dividend yield of 2.4% and a payout ratio of 46.57%.

Fayez Sarofim & Co lessened its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 26.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,105,657 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 769,833 shares during the period. Union Pacific comprises approximately 1.2% of Fayez Sarofim & Co's portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Fayez Sarofim & Co owned about 0.35% of Union Pacific worth $499,912,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UNP. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 112.1% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 61,500 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $14,024,000 after purchasing an additional 32,500 shares during the last quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 27.1% in the fourth quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC now owns 1,883 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $429,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. now owns 4,775 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the period. CenterBook Partners LP acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $262,000. Finally, F M Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 30.0% in the fourth quarter. F M Investments LLC now owns 24,868 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $5,671,000 after acquiring an additional 5,746 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP traded down $0.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $222.27. The company had a trading volume of 2,345,506 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,336,163. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $227.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $230.48. The company has a market capitalization of $131.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $204.66 and a 1-year high of $258.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.65.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.73% and a net margin of 28.43%. The firm had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.09 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.74 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect 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. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This is an increase from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Susquehanna cut their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $257.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Union Pacific from $238.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Union Pacific from $257.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $258.21.

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.