Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Acquired by SouthState Corp

SouthState Corp lifted its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 6.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 50,960 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 3,007 shares during the period. SouthState Corp’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $11,530,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Union Pacific by 211.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Cultivar Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $281.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Barclays cut their price target on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Loop Capital downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a report on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $258.79.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP traded down $2.13 on Thursday, reaching $253.57. The stock had a trading volume of 734,310 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,256,893. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $199.33 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $154.47 billion, a PE ratio of 24.24, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $239.52 and a 200 day moving average of $239.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89.

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

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 51.15%.

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.