Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd Sells 12,500 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd trimmed its UNP stake by 3.5%, sold 12,500 shares in Q4 and now holds 340,866 shares worth about $78.99 million, representing 1.4% of its portfolio and roughly 0.06% of Union Pacific.
• Union Pacific slightly missed the quarter (EPS $2.86 vs. $2.92 estimate; revenue down 0.6% YoY), trades around $248, pays a quarterly dividend of $1.38 (annual $5.52, yield 2.2%), and carries a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with an average target of $267.10.

Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd trimmed its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 340,866 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 12,500 shares during the period. Union Pacific comprises 1.4% of Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd owned 0.06% of Union Pacific worth $78,993,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 9.8% during the third quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 52,849 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $12,492,000 after acquiring an additional 4,707 shares in the last quarter. Midwest Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% during the third quarter. Midwest Trust Co now owns 281,036 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $66,428,000 after acquiring an additional 7,759 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 39.8% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 65,826 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $15,559,000 after acquiring an additional 18,742 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in Union Pacific by 15.1% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 135,188 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $31,955,000 after buying an additional 17,696 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new position in Union Pacific in the third quarter worth about $802,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total transaction of $469,625.07. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $248.33 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $251.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $237.30. Union Pacific Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $206.63 and a fifty-two week high of $268.14. The company has a market capitalization of $147.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The railroad operator reported $2.86 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.91 earnings per share. Union Pacific's revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on UNP. Evercore raised shares of Union Pacific from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $262.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $280.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Union Pacific from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $267.10.

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.

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