Townsend & Associates Inc Lowers Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Townsend & Associates Inc cut its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 12.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,207 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 313 shares during the quarter. Townsend & Associates Inc’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $533,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 272.3% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,678,108 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $379,689,000 after buying an additional 1,227,318 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 35.3% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,118,477 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,012,857,000 after acquiring an additional 1,073,625 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 19,878.6% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 896,040 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $220,856,000 after purchasing an additional 891,555 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2,025.4% during the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $134,636,000 after purchasing an additional 520,536 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 7,370,752 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,812,689,000 after purchasing an additional 518,985 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $264.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $255.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Daiwa America lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $259.15.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $241.49 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $146.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $208.14 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The business’s 50 day moving average is $243.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $238.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79.

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

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, 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.