Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS Sells 4,823 Shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lowered its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 860,661 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 4,823 shares during the quarter. Union Pacific accounts for approximately 1.2% of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $196,265,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $220,000. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 21,443 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $4,890,000 after buying an additional 525 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 38.3% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 372,696 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $84,990,000 after buying an additional 103,267 shares during the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 427,312 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $97,444,000 after acquiring an additional 7,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Financial Bankshares Inc lifted its position in Union Pacific by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. First Financial Bankshares Inc now owns 85,330 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $19,459,000 after acquiring an additional 1,012 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen raised their target price on Union Pacific from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Benchmark raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $254.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $285.00 price target (up from $265.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $263.00.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $236.24 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $142.76 billion, a PE ratio of 21.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $242.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $240.35. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $218.55 and a twelve month high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a net margin of 27.82% and a return on equity of 41.12%. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.71 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total value of $1,636,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,240,000. This trade represents a 10.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.