Morningstar Investment Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Morningstar Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 36.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,554 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 21,066 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $8,456,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Midwest Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% in the third quarter. Midwest Trust Co now owns 281,036 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $66,428,000 after acquiring an additional 7,759 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 15.1% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 135,188 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $31,955,000 after acquiring an additional 17,696 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 29.6% in the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 653,589 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $154,488,000 after acquiring an additional 149,158 shares during the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the third quarter worth $802,000. Finally, Berman McAleer LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the third quarter worth $1,036,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 114,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,492,157.40. This represents a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $16,605,079.52. The trade was a 30.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 31,386 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,716 over the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $265.65 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $157.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.88, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1 year low of $210.84 and a 1 year high of $276.40. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $253.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $243.99.

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

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on UNP shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $267.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $285.00 target price (up from $278.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $307.00 target price (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Union Pacific from $256.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 target price on Union Pacific and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $280.47.

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.