Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Sold by New York State Teachers Retirement System

New York State Teachers Retirement System cut its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 5.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 494,010 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 27,901 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.08% of Union Pacific worth $112,654,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Union Pacific by 265.7% during the third quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 128 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Union Pacific during the third quarter valued at $32,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

UNP has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Benchmark boosted their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $263.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $261.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Craig V. Richardson sold 6,495 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.00, for a total transaction of $1,636,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,632,388. This represents a 19.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $1,875,000.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,240,000. This 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.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $250.96 on Friday. Union Pacific Co. has a twelve month low of $218.55 and a twelve month high of $258.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The company has a market capitalization of $152.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.63, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.06. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $235.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $240.36.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 in the prior year, the business posted $2.71 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 12.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Union Pacific’s payout ratio is 48.33%.

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.