Retirement Systems of Alabama Has $81.56 Million Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Retirement Systems of Alabama lessened its position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 332,052 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 13,020 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $81,559,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $737,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Twin Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,394 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Sunburst Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC now owns 2,393 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $588,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Sunflower Bank N.A. raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 5,573 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,369,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, West Paces Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 1,886 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $463,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP traded down $0.76 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $242.79. The company had a trading volume of 2,255,458 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,120,671. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $244.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $235.15. Union Pacific Co. has a 1-year low of $190.45 and a 1-year high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a market capitalization of $148.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 26.52% and a return on equity of 44.34%. The company had revenue of $6.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.97 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.67 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.08 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 29th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 28th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,750 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $937,500.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 56,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,170,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

UNP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $280.00 price target (up from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $252.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $270.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.78.

Union Pacific Profile

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.