Salem Investment Counselors Inc. Sells 120 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lessened its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,249 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 120 shares during the period. Salem Investment Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $741,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in Union Pacific by 272.3% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $379,689,000 after purchasing an additional 1,227,318 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 19,878.6% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 896,040 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $220,856,000 after buying an additional 891,555 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Union Pacific by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,795,993,000 after buying an additional 625,492 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 2,025.4% during the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $134,636,000 after acquiring an additional 520,536 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 170.9% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 736,246 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $181,470,000 after acquiring an additional 464,477 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $226.60 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $137.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.81, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $218.55 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The company has a 50 day moving average of $234.58 and a 200 day moving average of $238.85.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.78 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.51 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th were given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.37%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on UNP shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $262.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $252.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI cut shares of Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $254.00 to $247.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $259.80.

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.