KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Acquires 54,300 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS boosted its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 24.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 271,964 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 54,300 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $62,911,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 193.3% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 10,481,043 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,477,404,000 after purchasing an additional 6,908,016 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 72.7% in the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,177,002 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,169,168,000 after purchasing an additional 3,861,636 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 95.0% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 8,713,196 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,059,538,000 after purchasing an additional 4,244,226 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 18.9% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,164,334 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,693,434,000 after purchasing an additional 1,139,926 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 3.2% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,881,628 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,626,610,000 after purchasing an additional 210,184 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on UNP. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 target price on Union Pacific and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Evercore upgraded Union Pacific from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $262.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $267.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Union Pacific from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $267.48.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $251.56 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.91. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $206.63 and a 52 week high of $268.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $251.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $237.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $149.27 billion, a PE ratio of 21.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.96.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The railroad operator reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.92 by ($0.06). Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.12% and a return on equity of 40.89%. The firm had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.15 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.91 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total value of $469,625.07. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.