Capital Investment Counsel LLC Sells 22,286 Shares of Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Capital Investment Counsel LLC sold 22,286 shares of Union Pacific in Q4, cutting its stake by 94.3% to 1,350 shares worth about $312,000.
• Union Pacific posted a Q1 earnings beat (EPS $2.93 vs. $2.86 est.), reaffirmed its outlook, and carries a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $279.55.
• Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern refiled a merger application claiming ~$3.5 billion in annual shipper savings, but the deal faces strong opposition from rivals, unions and Canadian National, leaving significant regulatory risk.

Capital Investment Counsel LLC cut its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 94.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,350 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 22,286 shares during the period. Capital Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $312,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Stephens Consulting LLC raised its holdings in Union Pacific by 48.4% in the 4th quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 135 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 3,186 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $753,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Union Pacific by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,988 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,154,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 1.7% during the third quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management now owns 2,691 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $636,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated increased its position in shares of Union Pacific by 4.5% during the third quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 1,065 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $252,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Key Union Pacific News

Here are the key news stories impacting Union Pacific this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Union Pacific reported a Q1 earnings beat, stronger margins and reaffirmed its outlook — a fundamental positive that underpins analyst upgrades and higher price targets. UPS or UNP: Which Transportation Stock Holds an Edge Post Q1 Earnings?
• Positive Sentiment: UNP and Norfolk Southern refiled an amended merger application with the Surface Transportation Board that includes full traffic data from all Class I rails and projects about $3.5 billion in annual shipper savings — a scenario investors see as long-term revenue/cost synergy if approved. Creating America's First Transcontinental Railroad...
• Neutral Sentiment: The refiled application frames the merged carrier as holding roughly a 39% market share and outlines conditions under which Union Pacific could walk away — information that clarifies deal economics but leaves regulatory risk open. Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern Refile Rail-Merger Application
• Negative Sentiment: Rival Canadian National (CNI) formally criticized the amended application as inadequate to address competitive harms and is actively engaging the STB — increasing the probability of prolonged review, mandated remedies, or outright rejection. CN Says Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern Merger Fails To Address Competitive Harms
• Negative Sentiment: Rivals, unions and a newly formed anti-merger coalition are mobilizing to block the deal, signaling political and stakeholder resistance that could delay approval or force costly concessions. Rails rivals, unions unite to block the Norfolk Southern-Union Pacific merger
• Negative Sentiment: Union Pacific CFO disclosed an insider sale of about $549,400 in UNP stock — a near-term negative signal that some investors interpret as reduced insider conviction (though the size is modest relative to market cap). Insider Selling: Union Pacific NYSE: UNP CFO Sells $549,400.00 in Stock

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on UNP. Susquehanna restated a "buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, January 19th. Weiss Ratings raised Union Pacific from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. 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. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and set a $307.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 price target on Union Pacific and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $279.55.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total transaction of $469,625.07. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of Union Pacific stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total value of $549,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 114,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,492,157.40. This represents a 1.71% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 31,386 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,716. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of UNP opened at $266.40 on Friday. Union Pacific Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $210.84 and a fifty-two week high of $274.79. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $252.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $239.33. The stock has a market cap of $158.17 billion, a PE ratio of 21.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.92.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.86 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. The business's revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.70 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Union Pacific's 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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