Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC Takes $1.17 Million Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 4,283 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,165,000. Union Pacific accounts for 0.6% of Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tucker Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. SWAN Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2,575.0% in the fourth quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 107 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $317.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $304.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $310.00 price objective (up from $286.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $339.00 target price (up from $289.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $320.00 target price (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $320.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total transaction of $789,504.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at $11,353,447.52. This trade represents a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE UNP opened at $310.11 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $287.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $268.73. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $210.84 and a 52 week high of $315.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The stock has a market cap of $184.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.11, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.96.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.26 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.85% and a return on equity of 38.46%. The business’s revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.03 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be given a $1.42 dividend. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.70%.

About Union Pacific

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) is one of the largest freight railroad companies in the United States. Its principal operating subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad, has roots that trace back to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and the construction of the first transcontinental rail link completed in 1869. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, and operates as a holding company for rail transportation and related services.

Union Pacific’s core business is the movement of freight by rail across an extensive rail network serving the western two?thirds of the United States.