Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Sold by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC lessened its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 2.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 65,044 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,709 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $17,692,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital World Investors increased its position in Union Pacific by 92.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,658,142,000 after purchasing an additional 9,655,306 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,779,907,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 72.7% in the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,177,002 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,169,168,000 after acquiring an additional 3,861,636 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 26.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,980,904 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,540,105,000 after acquiring an additional 2,267,708 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 16.8% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,463,071 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $3,509,030,000 after acquiring an additional 2,084,808 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $317.00 price objective on Union Pacific and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $335.00 price objective (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Union Pacific from $326.00 to $349.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $320.89.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 43,012 shares in the company, valued at $11,353,447.52. This trade represents a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE UNP opened at $292.98 on Monday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $280.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $263.07. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $210.84 and a 52 week high of $315.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The stock has a market cap of $174.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.72, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.96.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.26 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.85% and a return on equity of 38.46%. The business had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.03 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be given a $1.42 dividend. This represents a $5.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.70%.

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.