Avalon Trust Co Buys 777 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Avalon Trust Co lifted its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 77.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,781 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 777 shares during the period. Avalon Trust Co’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $410,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific in the first quarter worth about $988,822,000. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3,536.2% in the 2nd quarter. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd now owns 1,011,677 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $232,767,000 after buying an additional 983,855 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 29.8% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,699,109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $873,878,000 after buying an additional 850,025 shares during the last quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 61,054.6% during the 1st quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 625,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $147,650,000 after acquiring an additional 623,978 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the first quarter valued at approximately $115,096,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of UNP stock opened at $223.68 on Thursday. Union Pacific Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $204.66 and a fifty-two week high of $256.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $132.68 billion, a PE ratio of 19.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.75. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $224.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $224.54.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.09. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.23% and a net margin of 28.73%.The firm had revenue of $6.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.75 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on UNP. UBS Group set a $253.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Argus cut Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $272.00 target price (up from $257.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Union Pacific from $277.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $261.63.

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.