Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Acquires New Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 102,049 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $27,757,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,329,262 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $13,724,045,000 after buying an additional 659,378 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Union Pacific by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,330,080 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,090,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,082,285 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its position in Union Pacific by 92.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,658,142,000 after acquiring an additional 9,655,306 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,360,668 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,552,550,000 after acquiring an additional 296,814 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Union Pacific by 16.8% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,463,071 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,509,030,000 after acquiring an additional 2,084,808 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on UNP shares. Stephens raised shares of Union Pacific to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $335.00 target price (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, July 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $304.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on Union Pacific from $305.00 to $333.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $320.89.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $307.97 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $286.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $267.60. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12 month low of $210.84 and a 12 month high of $315.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $182.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.96.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 38.46% and a net margin of 28.85%.The firm had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.03 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.93 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a $1.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.70%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total value of $789,504.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. The trade was a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Company Profile

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.