Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 499,337 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Franklin Resources Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 7.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,024,408 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 499,337 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 1.02% of Union Pacific worth $1,386,096,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the first quarter valued at about $988,822,000. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 3,536.2% in the 2nd quarter. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd now owns 1,011,677 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $232,767,000 after buying an additional 983,855 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 29.8% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,699,109 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $873,878,000 after acquiring an additional 850,025 shares in the last quarter. Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter worth approximately $115,096,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 10.8% during the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 4,626,200 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,092,893,000 after acquiring an additional 452,788 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of UNP stock opened at $221.34 on Friday. Union Pacific Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $204.66 and a fifty-two week high of $256.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $131.29 billion, a PE ratio of 18.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.75. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $224.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $224.74.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.09. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.23% and a net margin of 28.73%.The firm had revenue of $6.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.75 earnings per share. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be issued a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 5th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 46.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on UNP shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $263.00 price objective on Union Pacific and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Argus downgraded Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $272.00 target price (up from $257.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $261.63.

Union Pacific Company Profile

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.