Barclays PLC Lowers Stock Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Barclays PLC cut its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 7.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 986,618 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 73,981 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned 0.17% of Union Pacific worth $228,224,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. SWAN Capital LLC grew its position in Union Pacific by 2,575.0% in the 4th quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 107 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Saranac Partners Ltd purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $277.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $282.21.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Union Pacific stock opened at $272.37 on Monday. Union Pacific Corporation has a one year low of $210.84 and a one year high of $279.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.92. The business has a fifty day moving average of $262.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $248.86. The company has a market cap of $161.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.97.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released 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 company had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.70 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 45.47%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total transaction of $7,442,691.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total value of $789,504.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,353,447.52. This trade represents a 6.50% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 34,377 shares of company stock valued at $9,251,221 in the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Union Pacific

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.