Man Group plc Lowers Holdings in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Man Group plc cut its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 10.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,431 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 6,379 shares during the period. Man Group plc's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $12,412,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fiduciary Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 102,213 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $23,309,000 after buying an additional 2,807 shares during the last quarter. abrdn plc raised its position in Union Pacific by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. abrdn plc now owns 415,874 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $94,588,000 after acquiring an additional 35,414 shares during the period. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth $3,954,000. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 128.3% during the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 36,798 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $8,391,000 after acquiring an additional 20,681 shares during the period. Finally, Miramar Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Miramar Capital LLC now owns 54,564 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $12,443,000 after purchasing an additional 1,648 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Trading Down 2.0%

NYSE:UNP traded down $4.60 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $223.73. 2,183,560 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,645,241. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $204.66 and a 52 week high of $258.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $133.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.17, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.07. The firm's 50 day moving average is $223.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $233.63.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.73 by ($0.03). Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. The business had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.69 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a $5.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on UNP shares. Citigroup upgraded Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $260.00 to $244.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $230.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Benchmark upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $257.50.

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.