Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc Purchases Shares of 5,349 Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc bought a new position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 5,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,231,000. Union Pacific comprises 0.7% of Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the first quarter valued at $988,822,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Union Pacific by 29.8% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,699,109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $873,878,000 after buying an additional 850,025 shares during the period. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 61,054.6% in the 1st quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 625,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $147,650,000 after purchasing an additional 623,978 shares during the last quarter. Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter worth about $115,096,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 4,626,200 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,092,893,000 after buying an additional 452,788 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $232.72 on Thursday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $204.66 and a 52 week high of $256.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $224.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.57. The company has a market capitalization of $138.03 billion, a PE ratio of 20.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.73% and a net margin of 28.43%.The company had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.74 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th were paid a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 29th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on UNP shares. Loop Capital upgraded Union Pacific from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $214.00 to $227.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Citigroup upgraded Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $250.00 to $251.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Barclays downgraded Union Pacific from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and set a $272.00 price objective (up from $257.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $231.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $261.08.

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.