Global Retirement Partners LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its Union Pacific stake by 23% in the fourth quarter, adding 4,982 shares to bring its total holdings to 26,665 shares worth about $6.17 million.
• Union Pacific reported strong quarterly results, beating analyst estimates with EPS of $2.93 and revenue of $6.22 billion, both above expectations. Revenue rose 3.2% year over year.
• The company also raised capital returns and retained a positive analyst outlook, declaring a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share and receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average target price of $280.47.

Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 23.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,665 shares of the railroad operator's stock after acquiring an additional 4,982 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $6,168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Saranac Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, High Point Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Union Pacific in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. 80.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on UNP shares. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $277.00 price objective on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $274.00 price objective (up from $253.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a report on Friday, April 24th. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Union Pacific from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Union Pacific from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $280.47.

Union Pacific Stock Performance

NYSE:UNP opened at $265.60 on Friday. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $253.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $243.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $157.69 billion, a PE ratio of 21.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.99. Union Pacific Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $210.84 and a fifty-two week high of $276.40.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.70 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast 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 will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Union Pacific's dividend 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 company's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.70, for a total transaction of $549,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 114,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,492,157.40. This represents a 1.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Eric J. Gehringer sold 1,999 shares of the company'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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 31,386 shares of company stock worth $8,461,716. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

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.