Legal & General Group Plc Acquires New Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 4,386,525 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,193,135,000. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.74% of Union Pacific at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp grew its position in Union Pacific by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,330,080 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $6,090,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,082,285 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 92.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,658,142,000 after purchasing an additional 9,655,306 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in 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 valued at $3,552,550,000 after purchasing an additional 296,814 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Union Pacific by 16.8% in 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,636,050 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,922,971,000 after purchasing an additional 602,647 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $310.00 price target (up from $286.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. Citizens Jmp started coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $350.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, July 13th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $294.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $304.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $320.89.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of UNP stock opened at $309.83 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $184.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.09, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.96. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $287.14 and a 200-day moving average of $268.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $210.84 and a 1-year high of $315.99.

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

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be issued a dividend of $1.42 per share. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.99%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the business’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 value of $789,504.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. The trade was a 6.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.