Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Stake Lifted by Versant Capital Management Inc

Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 70.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,243 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 1,759 shares during the quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,002,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $20,683,000. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,997 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $683,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $689,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 71.2% in the fourth quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 1,924 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $439,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $295.00 target price for the company. Loop Capital cut Union Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $259.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Bank of America raised their price target on Union Pacific from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Stephens cut their price target on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $257.74.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Union Pacific stock traded down $2.48 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $219.19. 2,230,901 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,996,035. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $221.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $232.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. Union Pacific Co. has a 1 year low of $204.66 and a 1 year high of $258.07. The company has a market capitalization of $130.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07.

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

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.29%.

About Union Pacific

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.