Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Sold by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. reduced its stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 91.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 131,680 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,468,063 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $30,460,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 40.4% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $546,000 after buying an additional 665 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its position in Union Pacific by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 20,606 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,741,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the second quarter valued at about $208,000. Waterloo Capital L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the second quarter valued at about $284,000. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 196.6% during the second quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 13,800 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,175,000 after acquiring an additional 9,148 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 firms recently commented on UNP. Susquehanna reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, January 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $267.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $280.00 target price on Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. 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, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Union Pacific from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $264.86.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.9%

NYSE:UNP opened at $241.77 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $143.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.95. Union Pacific Corporation has a one year low of $204.66 and a one year high of $268.14. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $247.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $234.74.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The railroad operator reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.92 by ($0.06). Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.12% and a return on equity of 40.89%. The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.91 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.12%.

Union Pacific Company 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.