Saxon Interests Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Saxon Interests Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 40.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,250 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,542 shares during the period. Saxon Interests Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $460,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Gleason Group Inc. raised its position in Union Pacific by 6.0% in the first quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 923 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $186,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 5,413 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,089,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Cary Street Partners Asset Management LLC now owns 1,489 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $308,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Apriem Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Apriem Advisors now owns 2,417 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $500,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, TrinityPoint Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC now owns 6,301 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,268,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. 77.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNP has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $228.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 27th. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 27th. Atlantic Securities downgraded Union Pacific from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $244.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, July 27th. Bank of America raised their price target on Union Pacific from $237.00 to $265.00 in a report on Thursday, July 27th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $230.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 27th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $233.97.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE UNP traded down $2.81 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $210.34. The company had a trading volume of 501,777 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,935,997. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $183.69 and a one year high of $240.48. The company has a market capitalization of $128.19 billion, a PE ratio of 19.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $220.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $206.44.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 in the prior year, the company earned $2.93 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 31st will be given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.45%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 8,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.43, for a total value of $1,935,141.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,061 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,355,628.23. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.83, for a total value of $222,830.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 99,378 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,144,399.74. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 8,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.43, for a total transaction of $1,935,141.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,061 shares in the company, valued at $9,355,628.23. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.