Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 3,924 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Handelsbanken Fonder AB trimmed its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 278,315 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 3,924 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $64,380,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Midwest Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% in the third quarter. Midwest Trust Co now owns 281,036 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $66,428,000 after buying an additional 7,759 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 15.1% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 135,188 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $31,955,000 after buying an additional 17,696 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in Union Pacific by 29.6% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 653,589 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $154,488,000 after purchasing an additional 149,158 shares in the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the third quarter valued at $802,000. Finally, Berman McAleer LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the third quarter valued at $1,036,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Up 1.6%

NYSE UNP opened at $274.93 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $252.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $242.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The stock has a market cap of $163.23 billion, a PE ratio of 22.65, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.99. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12 month low of $210.84 and a 12 month high of $276.40.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.70 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.47%.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total value of $469,625.07. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 114,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,492,157.40. The trade was a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 31,386 shares of company stock worth $8,461,716. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $274.00 price target (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Susquehanna reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, January 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $267.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $280.47.

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.