Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Stock Holdings Lessened by Raymond James Financial Inc.

Key Points

• Raymond James Financial Inc. reduced its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation by 0.2%, now owning approximately 4.53 million shares valued at over $1.07 billion.
• Union Pacific recently reported a $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, exceeding analyst estimates of $2.84, along with a net margin of 28.43% and a revenue that was up 2.4% year-over-year.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.38, representing an annualized dividend of $5.52 and a yield of 2.5%.

Raymond James Financial Inc. lessened its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 0.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,534,968 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 7,678 shares during the quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned about 0.76% of Union Pacific worth $1,071,341,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted 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 during the last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the first quarter worth $32,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 38.8% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 50.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, IMA Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.9%

UNP stock traded up $1.9190 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $225.6890. 2,851,696 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,355,458. The company has a market capitalization of $133.84 billion, a PE ratio of 19.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 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 twelve month low of $204.66 and a twelve month high of $258.07. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $226.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $229.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $6.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.09 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.74 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.4%. 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 payout ratio is 46.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on UNP shares. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Barclays lowered Union Pacific from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Union Pacific from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 7th. Argus cut Union Pacific from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $257.00 to $276.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.