Proficio Capital Partners LLC Invests $716,000 in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,633 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $716,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp increased its stake in Union Pacific by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,330,080 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,090,674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,082,285 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 92.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,658,142,000 after buying an additional 9,655,306 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,360,668 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,552,550,000 after buying an additional 296,814 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Union Pacific by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,527,563 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,951,497,000 after buying an additional 64,492 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Union Pacific by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,636,050 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,922,971,000 after buying an additional 602,647 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $320.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $335.00 target price (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $311.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $317.00 price target on Union Pacific and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Stephens raised Union Pacific to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $320.89.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total value of $789,504.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,353,447.52. This trade represents a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.5%

Union Pacific stock opened at $311.21 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $184.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.96. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $289.07 and a 200-day moving average of $269.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.82. Union Pacific Corporation has a one year low of $210.84 and a one year high of $315.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.26 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 38.46% and a net margin of 28.85%.The business had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.03 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.70%.

Union Pacific Profile

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) is one of the largest freight railroad companies in the United States. Its principal operating subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad, has roots that trace back to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and the construction of the first transcontinental rail link completed in 1869. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, and operates as a holding company for rail transportation and related services.

Union Pacific’s core business is the movement of freight by rail across an extensive rail network serving the western two‑thirds of the United States.