Beach Investment Management LLC. Takes Position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)

Beach Investment Management LLC. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 3,120 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $330,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cable Hill Partners LLC raised its position in Union Pacific Corporation by 6.1% in the first quarter. Cable Hill Partners LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $119,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. American National Bank raised its position in Union Pacific Corporation by 757.5% in the first quarter. American National Bank now owns 1,432 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $152,000 after buying an additional 1,265 shares in the last quarter. Dubuque Bank & Trust Co. raised its position in Union Pacific Corporation by 7.6% in the first quarter. Dubuque Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,464 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $155,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI raised its position in Union Pacific Corporation by 8.5% in the first quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 1,635 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $173,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance bought a new position in Union Pacific Corporation during the fourth quarter valued at about $187,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.88% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) opened at 103.57 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $106.03 and its 200 day moving average is $107.74. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12 month low of $87.06 and a 12 month high of $115.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.78 and a beta of 0.81.

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 20th. The railroad operator reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.06. Union Pacific Corporation had a net margin of 21.79% and a return on equity of 22.70%. The firm had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.19 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.17 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post $5.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 31st will be issued a $0.605 dividend. This represents a $2.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 29th. Union Pacific Corporation’s payout ratio is 43.84%.

Several analysts recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $123.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific Corporation in a research note on Friday. BidaskClub downgraded Union Pacific Corporation from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $118.00 price target (up previously from $112.00) on shares of Union Pacific Corporation in a research note on Monday, July 24th. Wolfe Research downgraded Union Pacific Corporation from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG downgraded Union Pacific Corporation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $132.00 to $110.00 in a research note on Friday, July 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $112.10.

In other Union Pacific Corporation news, EVP Cameron A. Scott sold 17,604 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.60, for a total value of $1,894,190.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 95,470 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,272,572. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Union Pacific Corporation Company Profile

Union Pacific Corporation is a railroad operating company in the United States. The Company operates through its principal operating company, Union Pacific Railroad Company (UPRR). Its business mix includes Agricultural Products, Automotive, Chemicals, Coal, Industrial Products and Intermodal. Its freight traffic consists of bulk, manifest, and premium business.