Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Trims Stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. cut its stake in Union Pacific Co. (NYSE:UNP) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 284,382 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 3,688 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Union Pacific were worth $69,850,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,000 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $737,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Twin Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,394 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $342,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Sunburst Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Sunburst Financial Group LLC now owns 2,393 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $588,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Mission Wealth Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 7,838 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,925,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Berkeley Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,100 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,007,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP traded down $0.66 during trading on Friday, reaching $232.05. 2,161,918 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,243,363. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $240.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $239.38. The stock has a market cap of $141.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.25, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.06. Union Pacific Co. has a 12-month low of $190.71 and a 12-month high of $258.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The railroad operator reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 44.34% and a net margin of 26.52%. The firm had revenue of $6.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.67 EPS. Union Pacific’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Co. will post 11.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st will be paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 31st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.24%. Union Pacific’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on UNP shares. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Union Pacific from $252.00 to $258.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Raymond James reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $280.00 price objective (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $237.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Stifel Nicolaus raised Union Pacific from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $248.00 to $267.00 in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Union Pacific from $271.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.61.

About Union Pacific

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.