Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Has $20.02 Million Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky trimmed its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 88,479 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,446 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $20,020,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC now owns 3,997 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $982,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 65,990 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $16,208,000 after acquiring an additional 4,072 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 17.1% during the 4th quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 8,032 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,973,000 after purchasing an additional 1,171 shares during the last quarter. Holderness Investments Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth $367,000. Finally, Edge Capital Group LLC raised its stake in Union Pacific by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 12,043 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,958,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.4 %

UNP stock opened at $245.50 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $149.56 billion, a PE ratio of 23.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $199.33 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $245.99 and its 200-day moving average is $238.83.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.90% and a return on equity of 42.62%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is presently 51.15%.

Insider Activity

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total value of $875,887.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays reduced their target price on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI lowered Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $254.00 to $247.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Daiwa America cut Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.79.

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.