Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. Boosts Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 4.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,368 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $768,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. One Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter valued at about $208,000. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,637 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $597,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,952 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,836,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 88,347 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $19,989,000 after buying an additional 3,084 shares during the period. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co lifted its position in Union Pacific by 12.8% in the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 29,550 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $6,686,000 after buying an additional 3,345 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI cut shares of Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $254.00 to $247.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Susquehanna cut their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.80.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $231.00 on Thursday. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $218.55 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The company has a market cap of $140.05 billion, a PE ratio of 21.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.06. The company’s 50 day moving average is $234.49 and its 200 day moving average is $238.87.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.78 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. The business had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.51 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.95 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th were issued a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.22%.

About Union Pacific

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.