FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH Increases Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 10.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,396 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the quarter. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $768,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 211.4% in the fourth 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. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Cultivar Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.6 %

UNP opened at $251.11 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $241.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $239.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $152.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.96, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $199.33 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.05.

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

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors 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 represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on UNP shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $281.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, Loop Capital cut shares of 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.79.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the president now owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Union Pacific

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.