Parnassus Investments LLC Acquires 3,773 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Parnassus Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 487,922 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,773 shares during the period. Parnassus Investments LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $115,330,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 63.3% in the third quarter. MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH now owns 35,461 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $8,382,000 after buying an additional 13,743 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its position in Union Pacific by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 82,963 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $19,610,000 after acquiring an additional 924 shares in the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 11,673 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,759,000 after purchasing an additional 828 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 31.3% in the 3rd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 67,761 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $16,017,000 after purchasing an additional 16,158 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,485 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,715,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $267.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Loop Capital raised Union Pacific from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $214.00 to $227.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Citigroup set a $264.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group set a $253.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.46.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of UNP stock opened at $228.30 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $135.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $229.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $227.21. Union Pacific Corporation has a one year low of $204.66 and a one year high of $256.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.24 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.23% and a net margin of 28.73%.Union Pacific’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.75 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.90%.

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.