California Public Employees Retirement System Decreases Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

California Public Employees Retirement System decreased its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 0.9% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,343,908 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 11,933 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $326,059,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Union Pacific by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,329,262 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $13,724,045,000 after buying an additional 659,378 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,330,080 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $6,090,674,000 after acquiring an additional 1,082,285 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 92.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,658,142,000 after acquiring an additional 9,655,306 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,360,668 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $3,552,550,000 after acquiring an additional 296,814 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,636,050 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $2,922,971,000 after acquiring an additional 602,647 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Union Pacific

Here are the key news stories impacting Union Pacific this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Union Pacific received the first rail from Rocky Mountain Steel’s new $1.2 billion Pueblo mill, kicking off a seven-year domestic supply contract that could improve rail-input reliability and support efficiency. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remain constructive, with recent price-target increases and buy/outperform-style ratings helping reinforce expectations for stronger earnings and continued momentum. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Heading into Q2 results, earnings estimates have been rising as stronger freight demand may offset volume and supply-chain pressures, which could set up a positive catalyst if Union Pacific beats expectations. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A valuation article said Union Pacific looks fairly valued on cash flow, suggesting the shares may be closer to intrinsic value than deeply discounted, which is less of a near-term trading catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Dan Loeb’s Third Point cut its Union Pacific stake by more than 90% while also slashing other railroad holdings, a move that may pressure sentiment around the sector amid merger uncertainty. Article Title

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $299.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total value of $7,442,691.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 61,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,605,079.52. This represents a 30.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total transaction of $789,504.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at $11,353,447.52. The trade was a 6.50% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 32,378 shares of company stock worth $8,781,595. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $301.44 on Friday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52-week low of $210.84 and a 52-week high of $303.15. The stock has a market cap of $178.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.83, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $271.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $256.00.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.The company’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.70 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.62 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 45.47%.

Union Pacific Company Profile

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.