Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by Legal & General Group Plc

Legal & General Group Plc trimmed its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 21.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,518,302 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 1,239,515 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,030,354,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. World Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 103.1% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 35,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $8,770,000 after acquiring an additional 18,060 shares in the last quarter. abrdn plc increased its stake in Union Pacific by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. abrdn plc now owns 415,874 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $94,588,000 after purchasing an additional 35,414 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 179,925 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $44,348,000 after buying an additional 4,939 shares during the last quarter. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 24.2% in the 4th quarter. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd now owns 277,267 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $63,185,000 after buying an additional 53,946 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic raised its stake in Union Pacific by 61.5% during the 4th quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 10,500 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,394,000 after acquiring an additional 4,000 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $212.86 on Monday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $127.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $242.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $238.66. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $202.38 and a twelve month high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.71 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 48.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Guggenheim lifted 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. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $253.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Loop Capital cut Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $265.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $261.95.

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.