Bridges Investment Management Inc. Acquires 29,410 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Bridges Investment Management increased its Union Pacific stake by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, buying 29,410 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 697,106 shares worth about $161.3 million.
• Union Pacific reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.93 and revenue of $6.22 billion, both ahead of analyst expectations; revenue also rose 3.2% from a year earlier.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, and analysts currently view the stock as a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $280.47.

Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 697,106 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 29,410 shares during the period. Union Pacific makes up approximately 2.0% of Bridges Investment Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Bridges Investment Management Inc. owned 0.12% of Union Pacific worth $161,255,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tucker Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Saranac Partners Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, High Point Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. 80.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $277.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $285.00 price target (up from $278.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $256.00 to $282.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $267.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $280.47.

Union Pacific Price Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $264.91 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.92. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $257.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $245.98. The company has a market cap of $157.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.97. Union Pacific Corporation has a 52-week low of $210.84 and a 52-week high of $279.70.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share (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 the consensus estimate of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.Union Pacific's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.70 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Union Pacific's payout ratio is currently 45.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Union Pacific news, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer 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. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total value of $469,625.07. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 31,386 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,716 over the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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