The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Sells 137,871 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company has reduced its stake in Union Pacific Corporation by 9.8% during the first quarter, owning approximately 0.21% of the company with a value of $299,875,000.
• Union Pacific recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $1.38 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $5.52 and a yield of 2.5%.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" on Union Pacific's shares, with recent target prices ranging from $240.00 to $285.00 reflecting expected growth.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 9.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,269,364 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 137,871 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.21% of Union Pacific worth $299,875,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 103.5% in the 1st quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 116 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 50.5% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 167 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, IMA Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Union Pacific in the 1st quarter valued at $43,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP traded up $1.21 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $223.56. The company had a trading volume of 5,012,781 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,091,132. The company has a market capitalization of $132.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.65. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $227.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $227.74. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $204.66 and a 1-year high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.84 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%. The company had revenue of $6.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.74 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current 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. This is an increase from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. Union Pacific's payout ratio is currently 47.96%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on UNP. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $257.00 to $276.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Bank of America upped their target price on Union Pacific from $256.00 to $262.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $263.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Argus downgraded Union Pacific from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $258.21.

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.