Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Purchases 56,120 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lifted its position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 12.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 500,634 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 56,120 shares during the quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. owned 0.08% of Union Pacific worth $115,807,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of UNP. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tucker Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. SWAN Capital LLC grew its position in Union Pacific by 2,575.0% during the fourth quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 107 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. High Point Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 114,642 shares in the company, valued at $31,492,157.40. The trade was a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 61,102 shares in the company, valued at $16,605,079.52. This trade represents a 30.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 34,377 shares of company stock valued at $9,251,221. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $272.37 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.92. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52-week low of $210.84 and a 52-week high of $279.70. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $262.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $248.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $161.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.97.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.70 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.55 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial set a $310.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $274.00 target price (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Benchmark raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 price objective on Union Pacific and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $282.21.

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.