Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Sold by Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co

Key Points

• Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co reduced its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation by 12.5%, selling 1,188 shares, leaving it with 8,317 shares valued at approximately $1.965 million.
• Union Pacific recently reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $3.03 for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations and marking a 2.4% increase in revenue compared to the same quarter last year.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend increase from $1.34 to $1.38 per share, yielding about 2.5% annually and maintaining a payout ratio of 47.96%.

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co decreased its position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 12.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,317 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 1,188 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,965,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,105,382 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,678,575,000 after purchasing an additional 142,732 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,949,345 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,641,715,000 after purchasing an additional 354,463 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,105,784 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,206,191,000 after purchasing an additional 86,292 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 35.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,968,658 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,133,053,000 after purchasing an additional 1,294,643 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 4,626,200 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,092,893,000 after purchasing an additional 452,788 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP traded down $1.18 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $214.87. The stock had a trading volume of 5,004,712 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,182,723. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52 week low of $204.66 and a 52 week high of $256.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $225.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $226.45. The company has a market capitalization of $127.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.03.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.73% and a net margin of 28.43%.The company had revenue of $6.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.74 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. This is a boost from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on UNP shares. Barclays downgraded Union Pacific from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup downgraded Union Pacific from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their target price for the company from $270.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $263.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Baird R W raised Union Pacific to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Finally, Susquehanna cut their target price on Union Pacific from $260.00 to $257.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $258.21.

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.