Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by WINTON GROUP Ltd

WINTON GROUP Ltd lessened its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 12.1% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 100,547 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 13,795 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific makes up approximately 1.5% of WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $22,750,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of UNP. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,832,127,000. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 7.6% during the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 7,370,752 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,812,689,000 after buying an additional 518,985 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,856,266 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,438,417,000 after buying an additional 113,946 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Union Pacific by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,504,181 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,351,937,000 after buying an additional 364,029 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,396,974 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,081,348,000 after acquiring an additional 237,083 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on UNP. Daiwa America lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $275.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday. Loop Capital cut Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.79.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Union Pacific stock opened at $249.12 on Friday. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $199.33 and a fifty-two week high of $258.66. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $243.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $239.19. The stock has a market cap of $151.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The business had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.57 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. This is a positive change from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.15%.

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.