New York State Common Retirement Fund Lowers Stock Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

New York State Common Retirement Fund reduced its position in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 7.0% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 782,327 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 59,055 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $192,828,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 8,312,154 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,880,701,000 after buying an additional 106,996 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 7.6% during the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 7,370,752 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,812,689,000 after acquiring an additional 518,985 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in Union Pacific by 2.1% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,970,669 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,350,924,000 after purchasing an additional 124,571 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in Union Pacific by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,396,974 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,081,348,000 after purchasing an additional 237,083 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 4,218,730 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $954,530,000 after purchasing an additional 322,129 shares during the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Union Pacific stock traded up $1.53 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $233.60. 73,870 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,283,724. The company’s fifty day moving average is $244.94 and its 200-day moving average is $238.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.77. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $207.74 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The firm has a market cap of $141.62 billion, a PE ratio of 21.31, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.05.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The railroad operator reported $2.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.78 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $6.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.14 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.79% and a net margin of 27.33%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.51 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 10.97 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $265.00 to $262.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $288.00 to $283.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $264.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI downgraded Union Pacific from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $254.00 to $247.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Union Pacific from $280.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.15.

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.