Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Bought by Invesco Ltd.

Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,885,560 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 334,435 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned approximately 1.16% of Union Pacific worth $1,592,768,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 92.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,658,142,000 after purchasing an additional 9,655,306 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $1,779,907,000. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in Union Pacific by 95.0% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 8,713,196 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,059,538,000 after buying an additional 4,244,226 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in 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 valued at $2,169,168,000 after buying an additional 3,861,636 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. purchased a new position in Union Pacific in the third quarter valued at about $408,592,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on UNP. Weiss Ratings raised Union Pacific from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and issued a $305.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $307.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial set a $310.00 target price on Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $277.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $282.21.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total value of $7,442,691.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 61,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,605,079.52. The trade was a 30.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 32,378 shares of company stock worth $8,781,595. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $257.46 on Friday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12-month low of $210.84 and a 12-month high of $279.70. The stock has a market cap of $152.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.21, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The company has a 50-day moving average of $263.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $249.75.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.07. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. The business had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.70 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 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.