Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) Shares Acquired by Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co raised its stake in shares of Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 12.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 29,550 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,345 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $6,686,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Forum Financial Management LP grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 0.6% during the first quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 7,037 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,731,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its stake in Union Pacific by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 3,015 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $741,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Union Pacific by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Fairhaven Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,581 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $584,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 3.6% in the first quarter. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Fortis Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 5.0% during the first quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 916 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Union Pacific

In related news, President Elizabeth F. Whited sold 3,552 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.59, for a total transaction of $875,887.68. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 64,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,014,787.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $253.55 on Wednesday. Union Pacific Co. has a 52 week low of $199.33 and a 52 week high of $258.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.05. The company has a market cap of $154.70 billion, a PE ratio of 24.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $244.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $239.08.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.05 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 42.62% and a net margin of 26.90%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.57 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a $1.34 dividend. This is an increase from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $5.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on UNP shares. Barclays cut their target price on Union Pacific from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $266.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, July 29th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $267.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. StockNews.com cut shares of Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Loop Capital cut Union Pacific from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $276.00 to $238.00 in a report on Monday, June 17th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $258.79.

Union Pacific Company 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.