Navellier & Associates Inc. Has $1.19 Million Position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)

Key Points

• Navellier & Associates Inc. reduced its stake in Union Pacific Corporation by 30.1%, now owning 5,480 shares valued at approximately $1,187,000.
• Several analysts recently adjusted their price targets for Union Pacific, with Jefferies Financial Group raising its target from $250.00 to $285.00 and Barclays increasing its target from $260.00 to $270.00.
• Union Pacific announced a quarterly dividend increase to $1.38, with an annualized yield of 2.46% and a dividend payout ratio of 48.29%.

Navellier & Associates Inc. decreased its position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 30.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,480 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 2,363 shares during the quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc.'s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,187,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UNP. Allred Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Allred Capital Management LLC now owns 8,349 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,904,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. grew its stake in Union Pacific by 1.5% in 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 during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 38.8% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 2,922 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $666,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Bank Trust Division raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.7% during the first quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 2,803 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $662,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UNP. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Union Pacific from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Argus upgraded shares of Union Pacific to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $259.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $258.21.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:UNP traded down $0.47 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $223.31. The company had a trading volume of 1,594,949 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,260,367. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.53. Union Pacific Corporation has a one year low of $204.66 and a one year high of $258.07. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $227.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $231.00. The company has a market capitalization of $133.42 billion, a PE ratio of 19.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $6.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.74 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.47%. This is a positive change from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. Union Pacific's 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.