Legal & General Group Plc Boosts Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 2.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,970,669 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 124,571 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.98% of Union Pacific worth $1,350,924,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BNP Paribas acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the first quarter worth $1,088,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 19.0% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 126,369 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $31,078,000 after purchasing an additional 20,173 shares during the period. M&G Plc purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at about $10,378,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 13.6% in the first quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 90,758 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $22,320,000 after purchasing an additional 10,876 shares during the period. Finally, Perpetual Ltd boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 92.9% during the first quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 8,962 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,204,000 after buying an additional 4,316 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, July 29th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Susquehanna cut their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.11.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.9 %

UNP stock opened at $243.23 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $245.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $239.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.21, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.05. Union Pacific Co. has a one year low of $199.33 and a one year high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The business had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.15%.

Union Pacific 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.