Alaska Permanent Fund Corp Sells 3,716 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Alaska Permanent Fund Corp lessened its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 19.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,175 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 3,716 shares during the period. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $3,727,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its position in Union Pacific by 108.9% during the third quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,128,575 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $840,702,000 after purchasing an additional 2,151,893 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 62.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,496,708 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,119,295,000 after purchasing an additional 2,119,382 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in Union Pacific by 65.5% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,348,496 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $478,224,000 after acquiring an additional 929,495 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 331.7% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 1,143,298 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $280,817,000 after acquiring an additional 878,490 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 20,736.8% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 803,677 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $197,399,000 after purchasing an additional 799,820 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:UNP traded down $4.31 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $231.98. The stock had a trading volume of 2,951,003 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,314,553. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $190.37 and a one year high of $258.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11. The company has a market capitalization of $141.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.59, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $244.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $234.64.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $6.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.45% and a return on equity of 46.87%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.67 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $280.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $231.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $282.00 to $272.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Seven investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $255.00.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 56,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.