Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Holdings Trimmed by AMF Tjanstepension AB

AMF Tjanstepension AB reduced its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 209,144 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 7,400 shares during the period. AMF Tjanstepension AB’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $42,830,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 90,390.6% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,697,556 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,836,353,000 after purchasing an additional 13,682,419 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Union Pacific by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,164,765 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,242,636,000 after acquiring an additional 223,827 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 10.1% during the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 9,400,232 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,891,819,000 after purchasing an additional 864,127 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,983,932 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,860,303,000 after purchasing an additional 883,963 shares during the period. Finally, Soroban Capital Partners LP increased its stake in Union Pacific by 77.5% in the first quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 8,260,185 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,662,445,000 after acquiring an additional 3,605,266 shares during the period. 77.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE UNP opened at $214.82 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $220.25 and a 200-day moving average of $206.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $130.92 billion, a PE ratio of 19.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.11. Union Pacific Co. has a 52-week low of $183.69 and a 52-week high of $240.48.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The railroad operator reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.75 by ($0.18). Union Pacific had a return on equity of 55.03% and a net margin of 27.18%. The company had revenue of $5.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.93 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.5 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 31st will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 1,000 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.83, for a total value of $222,830.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 99,378 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,144,399.74. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Union Pacific news, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 8,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.43, for a total value of $1,935,141.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,061 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,355,628.23. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.83, for a total transaction of $222,830.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 99,378 shares in the company, valued at $22,144,399.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $232.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 27th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $230.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 27th. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $230.00 to $240.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 27th. Benchmark increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $230.00 to $264.00 in a report on Thursday, July 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $216.00 to $223.00 in a report on Monday, July 17th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $233.97.

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, and other agricultural users; petroleum, and liquid petroleum gases; and construction products, industrial chemicals, plastics, forest products, specialized products, metals and ores, soda ash, and sand, as well as finished automobiles, automotive parts, and merchandise in intermodal containers.