New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Boosts Position in Union Pacific Corporation $UNP

Key Points

• New Age Alpha Advisors LLC sharply boosted its Union Pacific stake by 2,557.1% in the fourth quarter, ending with 4,145 shares valued at about $959,000. Other institutional investors also added positions, and institutions now own 80.38% of the railroad operator.
• Wall Street remains constructive on UNP, with several analysts raising price targets and the consensus rating sitting at “Moderate Buy” with an average target of $280.47. Recent updates included higher targets from Bernstein, Baird, TD Cowen, Benchmark, and Barclays.
• Union Pacific reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates with $2.93 per share on $6.22 billion in revenue. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.38 per share, implying a 2.0% annual yield.

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP - Free Report) by 2,557.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,145 shares of the railroad operator's stock after purchasing an additional 3,989 shares during the quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC's holdings in Union Pacific were worth $959,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UNP. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. High Point Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Saranac Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in Union Pacific during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.38% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on UNP shares. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $289.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Robert W. Baird set a $311.00 target price on Union Pacific and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Union Pacific from $256.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Benchmark boosted their price objective on Union Pacific from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $315.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Union Pacific in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $280.47.

Union Pacific Price Performance

Shares of NYSE UNP opened at $279.41 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. Union Pacific Corporation has a twelve month low of $210.84 and a twelve month high of $279.70. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $255.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $245.12. The stock has a market cap of $165.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.99.

Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The railroad operator reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.86 by $0.07. Union Pacific had a return on equity of 39.58% and a net margin of 29.20%.The company had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.70 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Union Pacific Corporation will post 12.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Union Pacific Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Union Pacific's payout ratio is currently 45.47%.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jennifer L. Hamann sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $31,492,157.40. The trade was a 1.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 31,386 shares of company stock valued at $8,461,716. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

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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