First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. Takes $5.16 Million Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• First Fiduciary bought a new stake of 22,314 shares of Union Pacific in the fourth quarter, valued at approximately $5.16 million.
• Union Pacific beat recent expectations with quarterly EPS of $2.93 vs. $2.86 and revenue of $6.22 billion vs. $6.12 billion, and it pays a $1.38 quarterly dividend (about a 2.1% yield).
• Insiders sold 31,386 shares (~$8.46 million) over the last quarter while institutional investors own 80.38% of the stock, and analysts have a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with a $279.55 target price.

First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 22,314 shares of the railroad operator's stock, valued at approximately $5,162,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of UNP. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 665 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 1.6% in the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $859,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in Union Pacific by 10.0% in the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 6,091 shares of the railroad operator's stock valued at $1,401,000 after acquiring an additional 554 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in Union Pacific by 7.4% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,528,426 shares of the railroad operator's stock worth $351,660,000 after purchasing an additional 105,664 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.38% of the company's stock.

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 on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total value of $549,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 114,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,492,157.40. The trade was a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.93, for a total value of $469,625.07. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on UNP. Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Susquehanna reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Monday, January 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $289.00 target price (up from $273.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Friday. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $274.00 price target (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $267.00 price target on shares of Union Pacific in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Union Pacific has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $279.55.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of Union Pacific stock opened at $267.98 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $159.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.96. Union Pacific Corporation has a 1-year low of $210.53 and a 1-year high of $274.79. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $252.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $238.94.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted 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 company had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.12 billion. Union Pacific had a net margin of 29.20% and a return on equity of 39.58%. Union Pacific's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.70 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were given a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Union Pacific's payout ratio is presently 45.47%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.