Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Sold by Capital International Investors

Capital International Investors lessened its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 56.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,647,672 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 4,772,258 shares during the period. Capital International Investors owned 0.61% of Union Pacific worth $862,200,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,584,144 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,083,554,000 after buying an additional 139,854 shares in the last quarter. Navalign LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 1.8% in the third quarter. Navalign LLC now owns 5,839 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,380,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.7% during the third quarter. Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp now owns 8,399 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,985,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 5.3% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 381,669 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $90,207,000 after purchasing an additional 19,318 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFG Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 29,623 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $7,002,000 after purchasing an additional 1,550 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on UNP shares. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $285.00 price target (up from $270.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $245.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $263.77.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $250.16 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market cap of $148.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.95. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $245.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $233.41. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $204.66 and a 1-year high of $268.14.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The railroad operator reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.92 by ($0.06). Union Pacific had a return on equity of 40.89% and a net margin of 29.12%.The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.91 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.12%.

About Union Pacific

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) is one of the largest freight railroad companies in the United States. Its principal operating subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad, has roots that trace back to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and the construction of the first transcontinental rail link completed in 1869. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, and operates as a holding company for rail transportation and related services.

Union Pacific’s core business is the movement of freight by rail across an extensive rail network serving the western two‑thirds of the United States.