AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Takes Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,391 shares of the railroad operator’s stock, valued at approximately $802,000.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Union Pacific during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,856,340,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 22,618.2% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,624,636 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $603,876,000 after purchasing an additional 2,613,083 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 35.6% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 4,782,577 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,134,236,000 after purchasing an additional 1,255,231 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 983,855 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 32.8% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,152,042 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $725,222,000 after acquiring an additional 778,411 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $280.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $285.00 target price (up from $270.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $245.00 price target on Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $258.32.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Union Pacific stock opened at $235.14 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $232.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $226.81. The company has a market capitalization of $139.48 billion, a PE ratio of 19.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.99. Union Pacific Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $204.66 and a fifty-two week high of $253.20.

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

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were issued a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.