Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Stake Lifted by Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO

Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 3.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,642 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 417 shares during the quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $2,382,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 90,390.6% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,697,556 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,836,353,000 after acquiring an additional 13,682,419 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth $1,276,498,000. Soroban Capital Partners LP boosted its position in Union Pacific by 77.5% during the 1st quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 8,260,185 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,662,445,000 after acquiring an additional 3,605,266 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in Union Pacific by 54.1% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,693,943 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,347,224,000 after acquiring an additional 2,349,841 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in Union Pacific by 638.3% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,014,327 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $550,334,000 after acquiring an additional 1,741,490 shares during the period. 77.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of UNP traded down $2.38 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $213.32. 4,222,810 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,187,835. The company has a market cap of $130.01 billion, a PE ratio of 19.46, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.11. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $220.88 and its 200-day moving average is $206.45. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $183.69 and a 52 week high of $240.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.71.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.75 by ($0.18). Union Pacific had a return on equity of 55.03% and a net margin of 27.18%. The company had revenue of $5.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.93 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 30th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.44%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 47.45%.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 8,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.43, for a total transaction of $1,935,141.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 42,061 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,355,628.23. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 8,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.43, for a total transaction of $1,935,141.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 42,061 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,355,628.23. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.83, for a total value of $222,830.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 99,378 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,144,399.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on UNP shares. Raymond James upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 27th. Citigroup upped their target price on Union Pacific from $235.00 to $270.00 in a report on Thursday, July 27th. StockNews.com started coverage on Union Pacific in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Stephens upped their target price on Union Pacific from $232.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Union Pacific from $216.00 to $223.00 in a report on Monday, July 17th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $233.97.

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, and other agricultural users; petroleum, and liquid petroleum gases; and construction products, industrial chemicals, plastics, forest products, specialized products, metals and ores, soda ash, and sand, as well as finished automobiles, automotive parts, and merchandise in intermodal containers.