Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Makes New $7.33 Million Investment in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 30,200 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $7,327,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 659,378 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised 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 purchasing an additional 1,082,285 shares during the period. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 92.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,658,142,000 after purchasing an additional 9,655,306 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,360,668 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,552,550,000 after purchasing an additional 296,814 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,636,050 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,922,971,000 after purchasing an additional 602,647 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $11,353,447.52. This represents a 6.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 114,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,492,157.40. This trade represents a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 32,378 shares of company stock valued at $8,781,595. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP stock opened at $267.61 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The company has a market capitalization of $158.88 billion, a PE ratio of 22.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.97. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12-month low of $210.84 and a 12-month high of $279.70. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $264.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $250.68.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced 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 company had revenue of $6.22 billion during 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%.Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.70 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.55 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $256.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial set a $310.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $300.00 price target (up from $260.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Benchmark boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $283.11.

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.