Wellington Management Group LLP Trims Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Wellington Management Group LLP lowered its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 12.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 5,788,688 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 841,180 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,320,052,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on UNP shares. Loop Capital cut Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $265.00 to $200.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $295.00 price objective for the company. Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $285.00 target price (up previously from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $262.76.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $232.06 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $140.23 billion, a PE ratio of 20.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The business has a 50 day moving average of $243.11 and a 200 day moving average of $239.41. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $218.55 and a 52 week high of $258.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76.

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

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

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.