South Dakota Investment Council Lowers Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

South Dakota Investment Council trimmed its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 45,099 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,200 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $11,077,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,261,449 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,478,649,000 after buying an additional 19,145 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,803,796 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,385,457,000 after buying an additional 285,988 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 62.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,496,708 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,119,295,000 after buying an additional 2,119,382 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,003,423 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,018,847,000 after buying an additional 792,896 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 108.9% in the 3rd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,128,575 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $840,702,000 after purchasing an additional 2,151,893 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP traded up $1.82 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $236.29. 1,980,821 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,306,394. The company has a market cap of $144.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.81. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $190.37 and a one year high of $258.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $244.85 and a 200 day moving average of $234.64.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 46.87% and a net margin of 26.45%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.67 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 29th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 49.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on UNP shares. Raymond James lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $240.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Union Pacific from $248.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Union Pacific from $228.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $255.00.

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.