Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Has $10.27 Million Position in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky decreased its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 45,043 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 798 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $10,272,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Union Pacific during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. EnRich Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. PrairieView Partners LLC acquired a new position in Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 38.8% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 161 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $216.18 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $129.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.06. The company’s 50-day moving average is $234.38 and its 200 day moving average is $236.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.77. Union Pacific Co. has a fifty-two week low of $204.66 and a fifty-two week high of $258.07.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.15. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 27.82%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.71 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $1.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.48%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on UNP shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Union Pacific from $265.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $255.00 to $245.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Union Pacific from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $259.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $257.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,960 shares in the company, valued at $16,240,000. The trade was a 10.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,319 shares in the company, valued at $6,632,388. This trade represents a 19.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.