Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Raises Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 427,312 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 7,061 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. owned 0.07% of Union Pacific worth $97,444,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of UNP. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 111.5% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 129 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Kentucky Trust Co bought a new position in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth $40,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP traded up $1.32 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $235.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,291,145 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,308,527. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The stock has a market cap of $142.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.21, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $242.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $239.94. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.07.

Remove Ads

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.71 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $1.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UNP. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $295.00 price target on the stock. Loop Capital lowered Union Pacific from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $263.00.

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.