Avior Wealth Management LLC Decreases Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Avior Wealth Management LLC has decreased its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation ($UNP) by 4.5%, now owning 37,549 shares valued at approximately $8.6 million.
• Union Pacific reported Q2 earnings of $3.03 per share, surpassing analysts' expectations and showing a 2.4% revenue increase year-over-year.
• The company has increased its quarterly dividend to $1.38 per share, reflecting a boost from the previous dividend and a yield of 2.3%.

Avior Wealth Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 4.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 37,549 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 1,780 shares during the quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $8,639,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 2.0% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,105,382 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,678,575,000 after acquiring an additional 142,732 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 5.4% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,949,345 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,641,715,000 after acquiring an additional 354,463 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.7% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,105,784 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,206,191,000 after acquiring an additional 86,292 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 10.8% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 4,626,200 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,092,893,000 after acquiring an additional 452,788 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the first quarter valued at $988,822,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Union Pacific Price Performance

UNP stock opened at $235.14 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.65. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1 year low of $204.66 and a 1 year high of $256.84. The firm has a market cap of $139.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.03. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $222.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $224.54.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $6.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.09 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 41.73% and a net margin of 28.43%.Union Pacific's revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.74 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on UNP shares. Susquehanna restated a "positive" rating and issued a $272.00 price objective (up from $257.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group upped their target price on Union Pacific from $238.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Citigroup upgraded Union Pacific from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $250.00 to $251.00 in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird began coverage on Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. They set a "neutral" rating and a $231.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $260.00.

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.

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