Comerica Bank Lowers Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Comerica Bank reduced its stake in Union Pacific by 12.3%, selling 31,558 shares and leaving 224,891 shares valued at about $53.16 million at quarter-end.
• Analysts' consensus on UNP is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $263.77, with several firms reaffirming or raising ratings (e.g., Weiss upgraded to buy; Baird set a $311 target).
• Union Pacific slightly missed quarterly estimates (EPS $2.86 vs. $2.92; revenue $6.09B vs. $6.15B) and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.38 (annualized $5.52, ~2.3% yield) payable March 31.

Comerica Bank lowered its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 12.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 224,891 shares of the railroad operator's stock after selling 31,558 shares during the quarter. Comerica Bank's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $53,157,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Union Pacific by 40.4% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,312 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $546,000 after acquiring an additional 665 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 20,606 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $4,741,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Union Pacific by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 60,718 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $13,970,000 after purchasing an additional 805 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 8.3% during the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 3,764 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $866,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Union Pacific by 45.1% during the second quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 4,768 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,097,000 after purchasing an additional 1,483 shares in the last quarter. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Susquehanna reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, January 19th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Union Pacific from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $285.00 price target (up from $270.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Union Pacific has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $263.77.

Union Pacific Trading Down 0.8%

UNP stock opened at $242.22 on Friday. Union Pacific Corporation has a 12 month low of $204.66 and a 12 month high of $268.14. The firm's 50-day moving average is $246.47 and its 200 day moving average is $233.74. The company has a market capitalization of $143.73 billion, a PE ratio of 20.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.75.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The railroad operator reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.92 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $6.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.15 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.12% and a return on equity of 40.89%. The business's revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.91 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Union Pacific Corporation will post 11.99 EPS for the current year.

Union Pacific Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Union Pacific's payout ratio is 46.12%.

Union Pacific Company 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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