Swiss National Bank Trims Stake in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Swiss National Bank cut its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,722,300 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 92,000 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $407,100,000 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 UNP. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Total Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the second quarter valued at $31,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Sagard Holdings Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the second quarter worth about $33,000. 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 the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $245.00 price objective on Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $280.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $263.77.

Union Pacific Stock Down 2.4%

NYSE UNP opened at $253.98 on Monday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12 month low of $204.66 and a 12 month high of $268.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock has a market cap of $150.71 billion, a PE ratio of 21.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $244.90 and its 200 day moving average is $233.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.15 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.12% and a return on equity of 40.89%. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.91 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

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

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.