Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Has $18.30 Million Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 1,301.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 78,029 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 72,462 shares during the quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $18,300,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,329,262 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $13,724,045,000 after purchasing an additional 659,378 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,330,080 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $6,090,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,082,285 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 9,655,306 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,360,668 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,552,550,000 after acquiring an additional 296,814 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,636,050 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,922,971,000 after acquiring an additional 602,647 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP opened at $267.54 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $262.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $249.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.92. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $210.84 and a 52 week high of $279.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $158.84 billion, a PE ratio of 22.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.97.

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 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 company had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.70 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reiterated 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. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $300.00 target price (up from $260.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $277.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $274.00 price objective (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $282.21.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total transaction of $7,442,691.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 61,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,605,079.52. The trade was a 30.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $31,492,157.40. This trade represents a 1.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 34,377 shares of company stock valued at $9,251,221 in the last three months. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.