Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Cuts Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lessened its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 34,300 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $8,454,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. BNP Paribas bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,088,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 19.0% during the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 126,369 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $31,078,000 after buying an additional 20,173 shares during the last quarter. Shellback Capital LP grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 28.2% during the 2nd quarter. Shellback Capital LP now owns 20,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,525,000 after buying an additional 4,400 shares in the last quarter. Peoples Bank KS bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $834,000. Finally, Maj Invest Holding A S raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Maj Invest Holding A S now owns 676,098 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $166,645,000 after acquiring an additional 2,202 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $252.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Barclays reduced their price objective on Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.15.

Insider Activity

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,014,787.55. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $230.30 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $246.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $238.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $199.97 and a one year high of $258.66. The company has a market capitalization of $140.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.76 by ($0.01). Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.51 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.07 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Company 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.