Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) President Sells $875,887.68 in Stock

Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Union Pacific Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $239.97 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $230.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $239.22. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $199.33 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The company has a market capitalization of $146.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The business had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.57 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 49.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $198.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $280.00 price target (up from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $259.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.79.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Union Pacific

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $1,832,127,000. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in Union Pacific by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 7,370,752 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,812,689,000 after purchasing an additional 518,985 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,867,842 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,441,260,000 after purchasing an additional 125,522 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Union Pacific by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,504,181 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,351,937,000 after purchasing an additional 364,029 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,396,974 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,081,348,000 after purchasing an additional 237,083 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

About Union Pacific

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.