Westpac Banking Corp Lowers Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Westpac Banking Corp lessened its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 6.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 37,415 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 2,497 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $8,655,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.1% in the fourth 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. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% in 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 buying an additional 296,814 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 193.3% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 10,481,043 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,477,404,000 after buying an additional 6,908,016 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 72.7% in the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,177,002 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,169,168,000 after buying an additional 3,861,636 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 95.0% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 8,713,196 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,059,538,000 after buying an additional 4,244,226 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total transaction of $469,625.07. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total value of $7,442,691.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 61,102 shares in the company, valued at $16,605,079.52. This trade represents a 30.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 31,386 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,716. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on UNP shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $289.00 price objective (up from $273.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Union Pacific from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $274.00 price objective (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $277.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 target price on Union Pacific and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $280.47.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.5%

UNP opened at $264.91 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $157.28 billion, a PE ratio of 21.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $210.84 and a 52 week high of $279.70. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $257.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $245.98.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.The firm’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.70 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.47%.

Union Pacific 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.