Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Stock Holdings Lessened by ClearBridge Investments Ltd

ClearBridge Investments Ltd lessened its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 6.3% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,086,079 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 72,437 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific comprises approximately 7.2% of ClearBridge Investments Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. ClearBridge Investments Ltd’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $245,736,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 7,370,752 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,812,689,000 after purchasing an additional 518,985 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in Union Pacific by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,856,266 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,438,417,000 after purchasing an additional 113,946 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,396,974 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,081,348,000 after acquiring an additional 237,083 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 4,218,730 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $954,530,000 after purchasing an additional 322,129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 35.3% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,118,477 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,012,857,000 after buying an additional 1,073,625 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares in the company, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on UNP shares. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Union Pacific from $270.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Loop Capital cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a research note on Monday, June 17th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, July 29th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.79.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $245.39 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $149.72 billion, a PE ratio of 23.42, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $245.45 and a 200 day moving average of $238.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. Union Pacific Co. has a 12 month low of $199.33 and a 12 month high of $258.66.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.57 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.18%. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.15%.

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.