Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Position Trimmed by PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab

PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab reduced its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 4.6% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 93,630 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 4,532 shares during the period. PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $25,467,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Capital World Investors raised its stake in Union Pacific by 92.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,658,142,000 after acquiring an additional 9,655,306 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,779,907,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in 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 valued at $2,169,168,000 after acquiring an additional 3,861,636 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 26.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,980,904 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,540,105,000 after purchasing an additional 2,267,708 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $3,509,030,000 after purchasing an additional 2,084,808 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNP has been the topic of several recent research reports. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $325.00 price target (up from $282.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. Benchmark upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings raised Union Pacific from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $310.00 target price (up from $286.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Citizens Jmp started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $350.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $320.89.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $295.41 on Friday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12-month low of $210.84 and a 12-month high of $315.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $175.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.96. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $279.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $262.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.03 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.9 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.42 per share. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 44.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total transaction of $789,504.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at $11,353,447.52. The trade was a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.