Principal Financial Group Inc. Boosts Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 743,819 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,586 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $202,319,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Union Pacific in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,203,000. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. raised its stake in Union Pacific by 13.4% in the 2nd quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 5,951 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,619,000 after purchasing an additional 705 shares during the last quarter. Capital City Trust Co. FL lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Capital City Trust Co. FL now owns 19,666 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $5,349,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 4.0% during the second quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,659 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $723,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SmartHarvest Portfolios LLC grew its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 9.2% during the second quarter. SmartHarvest Portfolios LLC now owns 1,723 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $469,000 after buying an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total transaction of $789,504.36. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 43,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. This represents a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $339.00 price target (up from $289.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $317.00 target price on Union Pacific and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $350.00 target price (up from $315.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $310.00 price target (up from $286.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, July 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $320.89.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Union Pacific stock opened at $293.57 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $174.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.99. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1 year low of $210.84 and a 1 year high of $315.99. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $283.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $265.13.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The railroad operator reported $3.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.26 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 38.46% and a net margin of 28.85%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.03 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be given a $1.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $5.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from Union Pacific’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.38. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is 44.70%.

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.