Legal & General Group Plc Increases Stake in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 4,584,144 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 139,854 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,083,554,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 2,252 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $532,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 3,186 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $753,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management lifted its position in Union Pacific by 2.5% during the third quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 1,880 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 4.5% during the third quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 1,065 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $252,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, CFO4Life Group LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific by 1.2% during the third quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 3,754 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $887,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on UNP shares. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Susquehanna reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, January 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $280.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $265.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $245.00 price target on Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $263.77.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $253.20 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $150.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $245.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $233.25. Union Pacific Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $204.66 and a fifty-two week high of $268.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The railroad operator reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.92 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.15 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.12% and a return on equity of 40.89%. The business’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.91 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 46.12%.

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.