Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) Stock Position Cut by Torray Investment Partners LLC

Key Points

• Torray Investment Partners LLC has reduced its stake in Union Pacific Corporation by 21.9%, owning 15,925 shares valued at approximately $3.76 million after selling 4,473 shares in the first quarter.
• Analysts have varied opinions on the stock, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $258.21, following upgrades and downgrades from several research firms.
• Union Pacific recently increased its quarterly dividend to $1.38, up from $1.34, reflecting a 2.45% yield based on an annualized dividend of $5.52.

Torray Investment Partners LLC reduced its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 21.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,925 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 4,473 shares during the period. Torray Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $3,762,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,370,559,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298,178 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,962,650 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,587,763,000 after purchasing an additional 920,414 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,594,882 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,503,899,000 after purchasing an additional 105,111 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,439,861 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,468,546,000 after purchasing an additional 285,401 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 35.2% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,968,658 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,133,053,000 after purchasing an additional 1,294,643 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic upgraded 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 note on Wednesday, April 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $250.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $257.00 to $276.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Baird R W upgraded shares of Union Pacific to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $258.21.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock traded down $2.66 during trading on Friday, hitting $219.31. 4,637,305 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,972,172. The stock's fifty day moving average is $227.04 and its 200 day moving average is $230.86. The stock has a market cap of $130.06 billion, a PE ratio of 19.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.05. 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 Corporation has a 12 month low of $204.66 and a 12 month high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.19. The business 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.74 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. Union Pacific's payout ratio is currently 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.