Public Sector Pension Investment Board Boosts Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 13.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 754,322 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after buying an additional 88,340 shares during the period. Union Pacific comprises 1.0% of Public Sector Pension Investment Board’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Public Sector Pension Investment Board’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $185,925,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of UNP. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the first quarter valued at $190,000. Swedbank AB purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter valued at about $36,938,000. First City Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. First City Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,804 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $444,000 after buying an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Raelipskie Partnership bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $878,000. Finally, PGGM Investments purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the 1st quarter worth approximately $164,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $252.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup increased their price target on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $267.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Daiwa America downgraded Union Pacific from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on Union Pacific from $273.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.80.

Union Pacific Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $245.23 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $218.55 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $240.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $238.51.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.78 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 41.79%. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.51 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 49.22%.

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.