Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Shares Newly Acquired by Associated Banc Corp

Key Points

• Associated Banc Corp acquired 96,288 Union Pacific shares in the third quarter, worth approximately $26.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.38% of the railroad operator.
• Union Pacific beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $3.53 versus $3.47 expected and revenue of $7.20 billion; revenue rose 15.3% year over year.
• Analysts give the stock a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with an average price target of $326.44.

Associated Banc Corp purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 96,288 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $26,203,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Union Pacific during the second quarter worth $1,193,135,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter worth $1,094,677,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 16.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,463,071 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $3,509,030,000 after acquiring an additional 2,084,808 shares during the period. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the 2nd quarter valued at about $479,274,000. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 27,890,598 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $7,586,243,000 after acquiring an additional 1,302,732 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $303.62 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $287.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $270.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The company has a market capitalization of $180.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.66, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.84. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12-month low of $216.32 and a 12-month high of $315.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The railroad operator reported $3.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.47 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $7.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.16 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.90% and a return on equity of 37.54%. Union Pacific's revenue was up 15.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.08 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 13.13 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $311.00 to $344.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $350.00 target price (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $301.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Union Pacific from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $326.44.

About Union Pacific

Union Pacific Corporation NYSE: UNP is a transportation company that operates one of the largest freight railroad networks in the United States. Through its Union Pacific Railroad subsidiary, the company moves goods across the western two-thirds of the country, connecting major agricultural, industrial, energy, population and port markets.

Union Pacific transports a broad range of commodities and products, including agricultural goods, automotive shipments, chemicals, coal, industrial products, forest products and intermodal containers.

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