Blair William & Co. IL Sells 39,233 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)

Key Points

• Blair William & Co. IL sold 39,233 shares of Union Pacific Corporation in the first quarter, reducing its stake by 7.0% to approximately 517,397 shares, valued at $122.23 million.
• Union Pacific reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, exceeding analysts’ expectations of $2.84, with a year-over-year revenue increase of 2.4%.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.38, representing an annualized total of $5.52 and a yield of 2.5%.

Blair William & Co. IL decreased its position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 7.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 517,397 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 39,233 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL owned approximately 0.09% of Union Pacific worth $122,230,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 27,502.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,491,151 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $588,510,000 after acquiring an additional 2,482,126 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in Union Pacific by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 10,395,364 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $2,370,559,000 after acquiring an additional 1,298,178 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 35.2% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,968,658 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,133,053,000 after purchasing an additional 1,294,643 shares during the last quarter. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter worth about $273,361,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Union Pacific by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,962,650 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $1,587,763,000 after purchasing an additional 920,414 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays lowered Union Pacific from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Union Pacific to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Citigroup downgraded shares of Union Pacific from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $270.00 to $250.00 in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Stephens decreased their price target on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $255.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $258.21.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

Union Pacific stock opened at $219.31 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $130.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.06. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $227.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $230.86. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52-week low of $204.66 and a 52-week high of $258.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The railroad operator reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.84 by $0.19. Union Pacific had a net margin of 28.43% and a return on equity of 41.73%. The business had revenue of $6.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.74 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from Union Pacific's previous quarterly dividend of $1.34. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. Union Pacific's dividend payout ratio is presently 46.57%.

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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