Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $173.29 Million Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 0.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 714,233 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,564 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $173,287,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Union Pacific by 40.4% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $546,000 after acquiring an additional 665 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 20,606 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $4,741,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $859,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 10.0% in the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,091 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,401,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,528,426 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $351,660,000 after purchasing an additional 105,664 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on UNP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings cut Union Pacific from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $285.00 price objective (up from $278.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $315.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of Union Pacific to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $294.89.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total value of $549,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 114,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,492,157.40. This trade represents a 1.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total transaction of $789,504.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 43,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,353,447.52. This trade represents a 6.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 32,378 shares of company stock worth $8,781,595 over the last quarter. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $288.44 on Wednesday. Union Pacific Corporation has a one year low of $210.84 and a one year high of $291.66. The company has a market cap of $171.25 billion, a PE ratio of 23.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.96. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $270.10 and a 200-day moving average of $254.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.22 billion for 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.70 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th were issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is currently 45.47%.

Union Pacific 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.