Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Purchases 4,211 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 2.3% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 190,878 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,211 shares during the quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $46,189,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in UNP. Capital World Investors increased its position in Union Pacific by 92.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,658,142,000 after buying an additional 9,655,306 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,779,907,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake 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 worth $2,169,168,000 after acquiring an additional 3,861,636 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 26.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,980,904 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,540,105,000 after acquiring an additional 2,267,708 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the third quarter worth $408,592,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

UNP opened at $281.42 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $167.08 billion, a PE ratio of 23.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1 year low of $210.84 and a 1 year high of $285.79. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $268.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $253.35.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.Union Pacific’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.70 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.56 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $285.00 target price (up from $278.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $294.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $315.00 price objective (up from $285.00) 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 seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $287.72.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total transaction of $789,504.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. The trade was a 6.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 61,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,605,079.52. The trade was a 30.95% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 32,378 shares of company stock worth $8,781,595. 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.