Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Position Decreased by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC reduced its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 32.6% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 73,172 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 35,383 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $17,282,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 93,337 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $21,475,000 after purchasing an additional 8,925 shares in the last quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 26.4% in the second quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 23,875 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $5,494,000 after buying an additional 4,980 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA raised its position in Union Pacific by 9.8% during the third quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 52,849 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $12,492,000 after acquiring an additional 4,707 shares in the last quarter. SCS Capital Management LLC raised its position in Union Pacific by 165.2% during the second quarter. SCS Capital Management LLC now owns 34,808 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $8,009,000 after acquiring an additional 21,685 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 0.8% in the third quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 1,549,118 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $366,165,000 after acquiring an additional 12,251 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $285.00 price target (up previously from $270.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $245.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Loop Capital raised Union Pacific from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $214.00 to $227.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $263.00 price objective on Union Pacific and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $260.33.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $233.23 on Friday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12 month low of $204.66 and a 12 month high of $256.84. The company has a market cap of $138.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.99. The business’s 50 day moving average is $227.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $226.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.24 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.23% and a net margin of 28.73%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.75 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 5th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.90%.

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.