Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC Decreases Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC reduced its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,884 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 131 shares during the quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $652,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 211.4% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Cultivar Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE:UNP traded down $1.90 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $249.63. 2,406,225 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,268,389. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $240.55 and its 200-day moving average is $239.32. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $199.33 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The firm has a market cap of $152.30 billion, a PE ratio of 23.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.57 EPS. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 51.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $270.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $273.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Daiwa America cut Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their target price on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.79.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.