Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 28.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 8,672 shares of the railroad operator's stock after buying an additional 1,940 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc.'s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,049,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. EnRich Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. PrairieView Partners LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 38.8% during 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. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on UNP shares. Citigroup raised shares of Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $260.00 to $244.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $248.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $257.74.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP traded up $2.74 on Friday, hitting $223.39. 2,953,392 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,675,410. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $220.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $232.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $204.66 and a one year high of $258.07. The firm has a market cap of $133.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.73 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 30th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.29%.

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.