Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. Cuts Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. lowered its position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 31.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 193,321 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 89,392 shares during the quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $44,719,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UNP. Midwest Trust Co grew its holdings 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 valued at $66,428,000 after purchasing an additional 7,759 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 15.1% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 135,188 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $31,955,000 after buying an additional 17,696 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 29.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 653,589 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $154,488,000 after buying an additional 149,158 shares during the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $802,000. Finally, Berman McAleer LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,036,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UNP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective (up from $260.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $285.00 price target (up from $278.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $256.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $277.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total value of $469,625.07. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 sale, 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 31,386 shares of company stock worth $8,461,716 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $266.59 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $158.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 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. The business has a 50-day moving average of $256.04 and a 200 day moving average of $245.44. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12 month low of $210.84 and a 12 month high of $279.70.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.07. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. The business had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.70 earnings per share. The business’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 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.47%.

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.