605,230 Shares in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP Acquired by Artisan Partners Limited Partnership

Key Points

• Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new stake in Union Pacific, acquiring 605,230 shares valued at about $140 million in the fourth quarter.
• Union Pacific reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.93 versus estimates of $2.86 and revenue of $6.22 billion versus expectations of $6.12 billion.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 2.1%, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average target price of $282.21.

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 605,230 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $140,002,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership owned about 0.10% of Union Pacific as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,329,262 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $13,724,045,000 after acquiring an additional 659,378 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,330,080 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $6,090,674,000 after buying an additional 1,082,285 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 92.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 20,136,349 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $4,658,142,000 after buying an additional 9,655,306 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 15,360,668 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $3,552,550,000 after buying an additional 296,814 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,636,050 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,922,971,000 after buying an additional 602,647 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $267.54 on Wednesday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $263.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $249.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $158.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.04, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.97. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12 month low of $210.84 and a 12 month high of $279.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.70 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. Union Pacific's payout ratio is presently 45.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. 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 research report on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and set a $307.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $256.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, 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 research report on Friday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $282.21.

Insider Buying and Selling at Union Pacific

In other Union Pacific news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total value of $789,504.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. The trade was a 6.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 114,642 shares in the company, valued at $31,492,157.40. This represents a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 34,377 shares of company stock valued at $9,251,221. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Union Pacific Company Profile

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.

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