Arax Advisory Partners Sells 3,909 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Arax Advisory Partners cut its Union Pacific stake by 35.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,909 shares and leaving it with 7,086 shares valued at about $1.64 million.
• Several institutional investors also adjusted their positions, and 80.38% of Union Pacific stock is owned by institutions, showing continued heavy institutional interest in the railroad operator.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive: multiple analysts raised price targets, and Union Pacific reported Q1 earnings and revenue above estimates while also declaring a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share.

Arax Advisory Partners reduced its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 35.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,086 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 3,909 shares during the period. Arax Advisory Partners' holdings in Union Pacific were worth $1,639,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in UNP. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 40.4% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $546,000 after acquiring an additional 665 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 0.5% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 20,606 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $4,741,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 1.6% in the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $859,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 10.0% in the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,091 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,401,000 after buying an additional 554 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in Union Pacific by 7.4% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,528,426 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $351,660,000 after buying an additional 105,664 shares during the period. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UNP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $315.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $277.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $300.00 price target (up from $260.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $274.00 price target (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Benchmark boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $282.21.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.96, for a total value of $789,504.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 43,012 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,353,447.52. This represents a 6.50% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total value of $549,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 114,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at $31,492,157.40. The trade was a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 34,377 shares of company stock valued at $9,251,221. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:UNP opened at $267.54 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. Union Pacific Corporation has a twelve month low of $210.84 and a twelve month high of $279.70. The stock's 50 day moving average is $262.69 and its 200-day moving average is $249.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $158.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.04, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.97.

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

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

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

Union Pacific 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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