Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System trimmed its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 32,600 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,700 shares during the quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $7,434,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 19,878.6% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 896,040 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $220,856,000 after acquiring an additional 891,555 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Union Pacific by 9.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,795,993,000 after purchasing an additional 625,492 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its holdings 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 during the period. Jennison Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 170.9% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 736,246 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $181,470,000 after purchasing an additional 464,477 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 35.8% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,226,100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $279,600,000 after buying an additional 323,525 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $261.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,632,388. The trade was a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $1,875,000.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.4 %

Union Pacific stock opened at $247.81 on Wednesday. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $150.24 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.06. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $235.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $240.25.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 12.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 48.33%.

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.