Argus Investors Counsel Inc. Sells 643 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. lessened its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 20.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 643 shares during the period. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $564,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 103.5% in the first quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1,400.0% in the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 120 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 50.5% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 167 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP stock opened at $235.14 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $222.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.65. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1 year low of $204.66 and a 1 year high of $256.84. The firm has a market cap of $139.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.43, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.03.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.09 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%. The company’s revenue was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.74 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 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 Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on UNP shares. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $244.00 to $238.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and set a $272.00 target price (up previously from $257.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays cut Union Pacific from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $260.00.

Union Pacific Company 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.