Blair William & Co. IL Reduces Stake in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Blair William & Co. IL reduced its Union Pacific stake by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, holding 470,374 shares worth about $108.8 million at quarter-end.
• Union Pacific reported solid quarterly results, with EPS of $2.93 topping estimates and revenue of $6.22 billion also beating expectations; revenue rose 3.2% year over year.
• The company continues to reward shareholders with a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 2.1%.

Blair William & Co. IL lowered its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 470,374 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 13,627 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL owned approximately 0.08% of Union Pacific worth $108,807,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of UNP. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 92.1% in 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 period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Union Pacific in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,779,907,000. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 95.0% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 8,713,196 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,059,538,000 after buying an additional 4,244,226 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in Union Pacific by 72.7% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,177,002 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $2,169,168,000 after buying an additional 3,861,636 shares during the period. Finally, EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $408,592,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Union Pacific

In related news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 2,991 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 43,012 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,353,447.52. This trade represents a 6.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kenyatta G. Rocker sold 27,387 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.76, for a total value of $7,442,691.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 61,102 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,605,079.52. This trade represents a 30.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 34,377 shares of company stock valued at $9,251,221 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Union Pacific Stock Up 0.1%

UNP stock opened at $267.54 on Wednesday. Union Pacific Corporation has a twelve month low of $210.84 and a twelve month high of $279.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The firm has a market cap of $158.84 billion, a PE ratio of 22.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a 50 day moving average of $263.15 and a 200 day moving average of $249.38.

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

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. 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 (DPR) is 45.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on UNP. TD Cowen raised their target price on Union Pacific from $256.00 to $282.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 target price on Union Pacific and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Susquehanna restated a "positive" rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Union Pacific from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Union Pacific presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $282.21.

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.

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