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

Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,584,144 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 139,854 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.77% of Union Pacific worth $1,083,554,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 2,252 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $532,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 3,186 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $753,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management increased its stake in Union Pacific by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 1,880 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 4.5% in the third quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 1,065 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $252,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CFO4Life Group LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.2% in the third quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 3,754 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $887,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on UNP. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $257.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $267.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $280.00 price target on Union Pacific in a report on Thursday, December 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.77.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $253.20 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $150.25 billion, a PE ratio of 21.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $245.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.25. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $204.66 and a 1-year high of $268.14.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The railroad operator reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.92 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.15 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 40.89% and a net margin of 29.12%.During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.91 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.12%.

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.