Conning Inc. Sells 13,116 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)

Conning Inc. lowered its position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 8.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 147,478 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 13,116 shares during the period. Conning Inc.'s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $34,840,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,430,581 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $3,282,305,000 after acquiring an additional 1,616,895 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $2,370,559,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298,178 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,927,377,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,686,387 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,752,804,000 after purchasing an additional 363,937 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,962,650 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,587,763,000 after purchasing an additional 920,414 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $230.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $259.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $263.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $256.91.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE UNP traded down $0.72 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $236.45. 1,327,641 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,719,394. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $223.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $230.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $204.66 and a 52 week high of $258.07. The stock has a market cap of $141.27 billion, a PE ratio of 21.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.73 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a return on equity of 40.80% and a net margin of 27.76%. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.69 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th were paid a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is 48.29%.

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.