Madison Asset Management LLC Trims Stock Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Madison Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 64,069 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 2,292 shares during the quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $14,820,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 193.3% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 10,481,043 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,477,404,000 after buying an additional 6,908,016 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 95.0% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 8,713,196 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,059,538,000 after purchasing an additional 4,244,226 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 72.7% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,177,002 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $2,169,168,000 after purchasing an additional 3,861,636 shares during the last quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the third quarter worth $408,592,000. Finally, Baupost Group LLC MA acquired a new stake in shares of Union Pacific during the third quarter worth $353,658,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $265.98 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $252.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $241.18. The company has a market cap of $157.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.91, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.99. Union Pacific Corporation has a one year low of $210.84 and a one year high of $274.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.92.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. The business’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.70 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on UNP shares. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $274.00 price objective (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $267.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $285.00 price objective (up from $278.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $289.00 price objective (up from $273.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $279.55.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total transaction of $469,625.07. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total value of $7,442,691.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 61,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,605,079.52. This represents a 30.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 31,386 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,716. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

About Union Pacific

Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) is one of the largest freight railroad companies in the United States. Its principal operating subsidiary, Union Pacific Railroad, has roots that trace back to the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and the construction of the first transcontinental rail link completed in 1869. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, and operates as a holding company for rail transportation and related services.

Union Pacific’s core business is the movement of freight by rail across an extensive rail network serving the western two‑thirds of the United States.