Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Sells 33,200 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co cut its stake in Union Pacific by 31.6%, selling 33,200 shares and retaining 71,849 shares worth about $16.62 million.
• Company insiders sold stock this quarter (CFO sold 2,000 shares; EVP sold 27,387), totaling 31,386 shares valued at roughly $8.46 million, while institutional investors own about 80.38% of UNP.
• Union Pacific beat quarterly estimates with $2.93 EPS and $6.22B revenue, pays a quarterly dividend of $1.38 (annualized yield ~2.1%), and carries an average analyst target near $279.55.

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co cut its position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 31.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 71,849 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 33,200 shares during the quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $16,620,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. High Point Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Saranac Partners Ltd bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 48.4% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 135 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of UNP stock opened at $263.57 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $156.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.71, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $252.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $239.51. 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 Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $210.84 and a fifty-two week high of $274.79.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.70 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total value of $549,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 114,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,492,157.40. This trade represents a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 61,102 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,605,079.52. This trade represents a 30.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 31,386 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,716. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UNP. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $289.00 price objective (up from $273.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Susquehanna reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, January 19th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $315.00 target price (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $279.55.

Union Pacific Company Profile

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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