Parnassus Investments LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Parnassus Investments LLC lowered its position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 466,778 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 21,144 shares during the period. Parnassus Investments LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $107,975,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 92.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,658,142,000 after buying an additional 9,655,306 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,779,907,000. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 95.0% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 8,713,196 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,059,538,000 after purchasing an additional 4,244,226 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 3,861,636 shares during the period. Finally, EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the third quarter valued at approximately $408,592,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total transaction of $7,442,691.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 61,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,605,079.52. This represents a 30.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 value of $549,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 114,642 shares in the company, valued at $31,492,157.40. This represents a 1.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 34,377 shares of company stock valued at $9,251,221 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on UNP shares. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 target price (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. 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 report on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $274.00 target price (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $277.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $307.00 target price (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $282.21.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of UNP stock opened at $268.50 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $261.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $248.52. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $210.84 and a 1-year high of $279.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $159.41 billion, a PE ratio of 22.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.97. 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 (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.The firm had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.70 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors 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 yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.47%.

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.