Swedbank AB Sells 7,216 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Swedbank AB trimmed its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 136,997 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 7,216 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $31,241,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 19,878.6% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 896,040 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $220,856,000 after buying an additional 891,555 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Union Pacific by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,322,450 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,795,993,000 after purchasing an additional 625,492 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2,025.4% in the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 546,236 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $134,636,000 after buying an additional 520,536 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 170.9% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 736,246 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $181,470,000 after buying an additional 464,477 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Union Pacific by 35.8% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,226,100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $279,600,000 after acquiring an additional 323,525 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on UNP. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.30.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $249.75 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $235.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $240.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $218.55 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $151.41 billion, a PE ratio of 22.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.06.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.71 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.96 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th were paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 9th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.22%.

Union Pacific Profile

Union Pacific Corporation, through its subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad Company, operates in the railroad business in the United States. The company offers transportation services for grain and grain products, fertilizers, food and refrigerated products, and coal and renewables to grain processors, animal feeders, ethanol producers, renewable biofuel producers, and other agricultural users; and construction products, industrial chemicals, plastics, forest products, specialized products, metals and ores, petroleum, liquid petroleum gases, soda ash, and sand, as well as finished automobiles, automotive parts, and merchandise in intermodal containers.