Principal Financial Group Inc. Trims Stake in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 708,669 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 5,531 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of Union Pacific worth $163,929,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,329,262 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $13,724,045,000 after purchasing an additional 659,378 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in Union Pacific by 193.3% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 10,481,043 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,477,404,000 after buying an additional 6,908,016 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 72.7% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,177,002 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,169,168,000 after buying an additional 3,861,636 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in Union Pacific by 95.0% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 8,713,196 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,059,538,000 after buying an additional 4,244,226 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Union Pacific by 18.9% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,164,334 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,693,434,000 after buying an additional 1,139,926 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on UNP shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $289.00 price target (up from $273.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $307.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $274.00 price target (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $277.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $279.55.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $264.04 on Wednesday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52-week low of $210.84 and a 52-week high of $274.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $156.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a fifty day moving average of $252.13 and a 200-day moving average of $239.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.92.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. The company had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.70 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is 45.47%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total value of $7,442,691.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 61,102 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,605,079.52. This represents a 30.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total transaction of $469,625.07. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 31,386 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,716. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

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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